Boys Don't Cry: Revised
by MegaKat
Summary: Rei's brother is dead, and now she must track down Heero and the other pilots before an assassin finds them too. Rated M in certain chapters for content: warnings will be posted at beginning of those chapters. Chapter 30! Merry Christmas!
1. Chapter 1

Revised April 2012

Author's Note: Alright, everyone. Thank to Jessica (Nerf or Nothing), I have gotten off my lazy ass and decided to rewrite this entire story. And YES, I will finish it this time. I re-read the first chapter and groaned outloud at how shitty my writing was when I was 17. Can yall believe that I'm 28 now, and married a second time, with 3 boys? I feel so fucking old, yall. I will be updating these chapters as time allows, so please be patient. I have 3 kids, 4 when I have my niece, and 3 of those are in diapers. I also work and I'm enrolled in college full-time for nursing school. So PLEASE be patient! And please, if you get time, let me know if you like this chapter better than the old version. Thank you!

-Megan

March 17, AC 204

5 AM, North American Midwest, Earth

She walked into the farmhouse and laid her gloves on the table before washing her hands and pouring a much-needed cup of coffee. The cows were milked and fed, the stalls mucked out, and now all she had left was to throw a few bales of hay to the horses before her morning chores were through. She lit a cigarette and sipped her coffee while she read the morning paper. More uprisings in the colonies, like that was a surprise. Thank God she lived on Earth, where things were stable for the most part.

The phone rang, and she groaned. If it was this early, it was almost always her neighbor, Jess, wanting help with her own livestock. She let it ring a couple more times while took another swig of her heavily sweetened coffee before she finally answered it. "What, Jessica?"

"Gomen, I must have the wrong number."

"Who are you looking for?" She asked, her attention perking up. If it wasn't Jess calling her, and it wasn't actually a wrong number, it was an emergency. No one called this timezone at 5am unless it was important.

"Hino Rei?"

A chill ran down her spine, and she leaned against the wall to keep herself from sitting on the floor. "Speaking," she said quietly.

"Ma'am, I regret to inform you that your brother, Duo Maxwell, has passed away. You were his only listed next of kin, so if you'd like to retrieve his personal effects—"

"What happened?" She snapped. This wasn't the first death notice she'd received in her life; the monotonous taking-care-of-business tone grated her nerves every time, and it didn't fail to do so now.

"I apologize, ma'am. He was in a car accident, but frankly, we're all kind of baffled over his death. He sustained a few traumas, mostly fractures, but other that he was just fine. He just suddenly died this morning. The cause of death remains unknown," the caller replied.

Rei remained calm, calculated, just as she'd been taught to do. "Duo was last on L4. Which hospital should I come to?"

"Municipal Hospital, ma'am, in Section Eight. Before you go, there's one more thing."

"Which is?"

"Your brother listed you as the only next of kin, but he also listed one other name as an emergency contact. He also wrote both of you letters, but we only have an address for the other person. Could you possibly contact him for us on your way to L4?"

She nodded wearily. "What's the address?" Rei jotted it down automatically, fighting to retain her composure. "Thank you," she said quickly, and hung up the phone before she collapsed on the floor, heaving up her coffee.

Duo was dead. Duo was _dead._ Rei punched the wall in her grief, and screamed wordlessly before throwing up on the kitchen tile again. Once she had herself under control and had cleaned up her mess, she stared blankly at the little piece of paper on the floor. Her eyes widened in surprise. She had never met the man- hadn't even thought of him in years- but Duo had spoken of him as if he'd been their own blood. And he'd told her that if anything happened to him, she was to immediately contact Heero Yuy.

Now her brother had asked her to, and she wasn't about to deny his last request.

9 PM Colony L3

She dreamed of them both on the flight. Duo, holding her tightly after a nightmare, letting her crawl into his bed and snuggle close until she finally dozed off. Telling her how much he loved her. Promising her that no matter what, her big brother would always protect her. Then she dreamed of the other one, the man that Duo had told her stories about; stuff that legends were made of. The man she'd aspired to be like when The Prof and The Doc had put her through the paces, had been amazed by her reflexes, astounded by her ability to pilot. She had emulated him. She'd worshipped him. And now she finally had to find him.

After a very long flight delay she grabbed her bags and hit the sidewalk. There wasn't a cab in sight, so she started walking in the direction of Section 8. Rei picked up a map after a few wrong turns, and the clerk in the store was kind enough to direct her towards Heero's street.

Rei held the map in front of her face as she walked along, subconsciously using her training to walk around lightposts, mailboxes, and the few pedestrians in her way without even looking at them. She only looked away from the map at every block to confirm that she was heading in the right direction, then immediately stuck her nose back in the center of it, trying to decipher all the little lines and letters. She stopped and looked up when she realized that someone had spoken to her. "Huh? Sorry, I didn't hear you, I'm trying to read this damned excuse for a guide to the city."

The man leered at her. He was big, about twice her size, and looked like he'd been raised in a gym since he was off his mother's tit. "I just thought I could show you around the town. A tiny, helpless thing like yourself shouldn't be walking around L4 without an escort."

Rei snorted in contempt, and kept walking, holding the map back up in front of her face.

"Don't ignore me, little girl. People that ignore me wind up getting hurt."

_If he touches me, I'm putting him in the dirt, _she thought. "Well, I suggest you pretend that I'm not ignoring you. I'd hate to fuck up your face any worse than it already is," she said with another snort. She didn't bother to stop walking or looking at her map, but was wholly prepared when he grabbed her by her shoulder. Rei kept the map in her right hand while she swung her weight back, ducked, and rolled him over her shoulder and onto the ground. "Touch me again and I'll take your balls," she warned him.

"The only place you'll be taking my balls is in your mouth," he snarled, and jumped to his feet.

Rei sighed in resignation when he charged her, prepared to drop her bag so her hands would be free, only for a loud report to deafen her in one ear. She spun to fight off whomever had fired the gun, only to be shoved defensively behind the shooter. She peeked over the man's shoulder to see her would-be assailant lying dead on the ground, shot right through the forehead. "Huh. Thanks," she said with a smile, patting the man on the shoulder. "He was really starting to piss me off."

"And he was about to kick your ass and rape you," the man replied grimly. He stuck his gun in the back pocket of his blue jeans and turned to study her carefully. "Are you hurt?" He frowned at the sight of one of the most stunningly beautiful women he'd ever seen; she definitely didn't belong in this neck of the woods.

"God, no. I was about to beat his ass when you shot him." She scooped up her map and studied it again, flipped it over, and sighed. It was covered in blood.

It wasn't a boast, it was a simple fact, and her savior knew it the moment she said it. He sized her up, then turned and studied the dead man on the ground. "You and what army?"

She chuckled, and held up her fist. "The army of Rei. No man can withstand its might."

"Well, the army is lost, I see." He took the map from her and threw it in a trash bin. "I live nearby. Where are you going?"

Rei sighed with relief, and dug the address out of her pocket before handing it over. "Arigato, you're a lifesaver. Twice, actually," she said with a smile while he deciphered her handwriting.

When he stared at her, she found herself looking into the most captivating blue eyes she had ever seen. "A very dangerous man lives at this address. He'd likely kill you for knocking on his door."

She frowned, overwhelmed by the strangest feeling of déjà vu. The way he now studied her reminded her of her own brother. She shook it off, along with the wave of grief she felt at the reminder of Duo, and put on her best please-help-me-out smile. "You can just lead me there and point out his front door."

"Not a chance." He turned and started to walk away, and fought every urge to punch her in the face when she forcefully spun him back around.

"Look, I need to see this man, ok? It's important; more important than I could ever explain to you. And if you don't take me there, I'll either find someone that will, or I'll buy another damned map and find my way there eventually. It might take me a week to navigate this fucking city, but if you help me, it'll save me a lot of time." She pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket and thrust it towards him. "I'm only asking you to lead me there, and I'm willing to pay."

He considered the desperation of her tone, and then waved the money away. "I'll take you there, but I can't guarantee your safety once you knock on that door."

"Agreed," she responded, and let him lead the way. She grinned after they'd walked a couple of blocks in silence. "You know, you could have easily killed me. I wouldn't be so worried about Heero Yuy."

"That was different," he stated firmly.

"You're right, it was. He'll be in front of me. You were behind me… and for that matter, just how did you manage to sneak up behind me? Not many people have ever been able to do that."

"Trade secret. If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Rei rolled her eyes. That had always been Duo's response to one of her questions when he'd rather not give her the answer. She followed the man down a few more blocks and several alleyways before she began to wonder if he was leading her in some sort of circle. Her sense of direction was never as good as her brother's, but it wasn't so bad that she couldn't tell what was up. She began to study the way he was leading her, and as if in response, he led her straight to an apartment building only a block away.

"This is the place." He pointed to a door on the third floor of the five-level, upper-middle-class building. "That's his door. I'll see you around."

Rei sighed as he walked away. "Just in case he decides to shoot me in the face, would you mind backing me up?" She asked in resignation, embarrassed to be asking this man for even more help. Those blue eyes studied her again, and she viciously raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Never mind. You've done more than enough, and I thank you for it. Really, I do." She hefted her bag onto her shoulder and made her way to the stairs, when she was tapped on the shoulder.

"Tell me what you want with Heero Yuy, and I'll accompany you."

Rei considered this proposal while she sized him up as he had only an hour before. He was slim, but muscular. Maybe ten years older than herself, but not by much more. If he shaved off the stubble on his face, he'd look even younger, and if she didn't know how quiet he could be when sneaking up behind her, she would have totally discounted him as a potential threat. However, he _had_ snuck up on her, and as she'd told him, that was simply something that almost no one could do. The Prof had made sure of that; and Duo had personally trained her in paying attention to what was behind her.

"Ok," she finally decided. She would tell him what she could without giving away too many details, and hope that he would be satisfied with her tale. If not, they would go their separate ways. "My brother was a friend of his. He died, and I've come to tell him the news." She shook off another wave of déjà vu when he stared her down. She could have sworn that his face had displayed anger, then something that seemed like disbelief, before settling back into an emotionless mask.

"Sorry about your brother." He took the lead up the stairs, and stopped at the door of apartment D8.

Rei knocked on the door, and waited impatiently. Duo had always told her she was too impatient, and at that thought it only made her knock again a little harder. There was no answer, and she furiously pounded twice more on the wood.

"Let me try," her guide offered.

"I don't see what good it'll do," she grunted in frustration. "All that, just for him not to be home. This is bullshit."

When he took a key from his pocket, and unlocked the door, Rei nearly smacked herself in the forehead, cursing her stupidity.

"Come on in," he said with a wave of his hand.

Unable to refuse gracefully, she ignored her instincts to run, and followed him inside. She jumped when he locked and bolted the door behind her, and she felt Heero Yuy coldly press the barrel of his gun against the back of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Revised Chapter 2, yall! Enjoy! Review if you get time! Thanks!

Chapter 2

Rei fought not to let her voice shake, and she held as still as she possibly could. "You can't kill me," she stated firmly, and was amazed at the calmness of her voice. Even with her training, the feel of a gun pressed against her head was still terrifying.

"Can't?" He asked incredulously. "I can do just about anything I damn well please."

"Aren't you the slightest bit curious about my identity?"

He couldn't help but admit to himself that he was; he had a fairly good idea who her brother was, but Duo Maxwell's sister was still a little girl, wasn't she? And even if she actually was Duo's sister, there wasn't a chance in hell that Duo was dead. Just like himself, nothing could kill Duo. _Nothing._ Duo was arguably the most tenacious bastard in the universe; if the Grim Reaper himself showed up for the Hell's pilot, he would argue with Death until he was blue in the face. Simply put, Duo was just too fucking stubborn to croak. "Not really," he replied.

Rei spun around to gape at him stupidly; she had momentarily forgotten about the gun to her head. "You've got to be kidding me, right? After all of that subterfuge, you're really not the least bit interested in why I'm here?"

"I already know why you're here. As you said, your brother is dead. But what makes you think I'm Heero Yuy?" He slowly lowered his gun and shoved it back in his pocket.

Rei studied him carefully from head to toe. He was the right age, there was no doubt about it, and the I-don't-give-a-shit attitude and superiority complex were a perfect fit. The eyes were what finally did it for her. They were cold, calculating, and hard as nails. Other than the color, the hardness of his eyes was identical to Duo's when her brother's training took over. "You're him. I'd know that stare anywhere." She raked her hand through her hair before looking back up at him. "Look, I'm not in the mood for games." Damn this man to the bowels of Hell, as hard as she was trying to keep her voice steady, it had cracked in that last statement. _Boys don't cry, Rei._

"Excuse me?"

Her face reddened when she realized that she had spoken aloud. "Nothing," she answered quickly.

He gestured to the couch, weary with the game he was playing. "Have a seat. Coffee or tea?"

"Coffee," Rei said gratefully, perching herself on the arm of the couch.

"He used to sit on the arm, too," Heero muttered to himself. "The arm of the couch is not a seat," he said just a little louder, and was satisfied when Rei quickly plopped onto one of the sofa cushions. "What?" He asked when she gave him a pleased smile. He stepped into the small kitchen through the large opening in the living room, and kept an eye on her from the coffee maker.

"You know, the Doc used to tell me the same thing. In the exact same words." Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction. "You _are_ Heero Yuy." She crossed her arms defiantly when he shook his head and resumed the caffeine-making process. "I heard that Trowa also had a similar habit, which S quickly broke."

This was news to him. "Really?"

"He put thumb tacks in the arms of his sofas, facing upwards. I heard that one stuck him where it really mattered, and he never sat on the arms again."

"Trowa was your brother, then?" He poured them both cups of coffee, and added copious amounts of cream and sugar to hers. If she drank it without gagging, she was without a doubt Duo Maxwell's sister. Every time he had seen Duo drink a cup of coffee, he had quietly felt sick. The man had loved his sugar and cream with just a little coffee added for flavor.

Rei took a sip of her coffee when he set it in front of her, and gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, you're Heero Yuy, alright."

"What makes you think that?" He hid a tiny smile behind his cup when he took a drink.

"My brother always said that you fixed his coffee way too weak, but he drank it anyway just to see you make that disgusted face. He said it was well worth scraping the sugar from his teeth afterwards." She took another sip, tried not to make a face, and pointed to the coffee maker. "Would you mind if I fixed another cup? I only drink it like this when I need a sugar boost."

"Not at all." Heero studied her again while she puttered around the kitchen, adding only a teaspoon of sugar and a little milk to her drink. If he managed to ignore the fact that she was a girl, and the hair that was almost always covering her face, he could definitely see the resemblance. He stopped her from sitting when she returned, and held her by the shoulders. "Hold still for a moment."

"Ok?" Rei set her cup down and waited with her arms crossed. "Oh no, don't mess with the hair," she said quickly, backing away the moment he reached for it.

He shook his head. "Look, girl. I'm Yuy, and while I'm pretty sure you are who you claim to be, I'm still not a hundred percent convinced that you're Duo's sister. So hold still."

"I never said Duo's name," she said softly. She felt her chest grow tight at the mention of his name, and pushed Heero away when he reached for her hair again. "What makes you think that I'm not one of Quatre's sisters, or even Trowa's?"

"All of Quatre's sisters are blonde," he replied dryly, "and Trowa and I have kept in touch. I spoke with him yesterday, and he was alive and well. That leaves Duo and Wufei. Since you knew about the coffee, that tells me you're claiming to be Duo's sister. Now hold still." He pulled her hair away from her face and looked at her closely. "You don't look like the little girl in the picture," he said bluntly, and let her hair fall back into place.

"Picture?"

"Duo showed me a picture of his sister once, and you're frankly too old to be her."

"Jesus Christ, Heero, I was six years old," she snorted. "I grew up."

"You're what? About twenty-five?" He asked incredulously.

Rei's eyes popped at that accusation, and she reached in her jacket, only to have his gun shoved in her face. She slowly removed her wallet and held it out to him. "I'm nineteen, you prick. Check my ID. I was born in the L2 colonies, in 190. And if you put that thing in my face again, we're gonna fight," she added bluntly.

Heero set his gun down on the cushion beside him, and flipped through her wallet. "Hino Rei, Iowa, North America. Born April 17, AC 190." He flipped around some more and found a few business cards for hay, riding tack, and livestock breeding. "You're a farmer?"

She nodded, and snatched her wallet back when he started digging through the pictures she carried with her.

"I didn't see any pictures of Duo in there," he pointed out.

"He hated having his picture taken," Rei said sadly. She ran her thumb over a very old photo of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, holding her when she was a newborn. It was one of the very few things she owned that had survived the massacre. "He was also afraid that any link to him, even a picture, would put me in danger."

"You could be some crazy, you know. Obsessed with the Gundam pilots, looking to stir up things that are best left forgotten. I know better than most how many crazy people there are out there." He could practically see the flames shooting from her eyes when she jumped up and grabbed her bag.

"Fuck you, Heero Yuy. Duo wanted me to find you, but you obviously don't give a flying shit about him, or his death. I'll go by myself." She turned and punched him when he kept her from opening the door, and was quickly flipped over his shoulder and onto the carpet. She drew the gun hidden in her jacket and pointed it at him. "I'm leaving," she spat, and climbed to her feet.

Heero glanced at his own gun, still sitting on the couch. "Damn it all to hell."

Rei followed his eyes, and snorted in contempt. "You're not Heero Yuy. The Perfect Soldier wouldn't have left his gun out of reach."

"I haven't been the Perfect Soldier in ten years." He approached her slowly, noting the way her hands started to shake when the barrel of the gun pressed against his chest. "And you're not going to shoot me." His hand snapped up before she could react, and he had her disarmed and on the floor again.

God, he was _fast_. Whenever Duo had sparred with her, she had seen it coming, but this man moved so quickly that her arm was in the chicken wing, and her face was in the carpet before she'd even had a chance to yell. She kicked back, aiming for his groin, but he expertly blocked it with his forearm. "Let me up," she growled.

"I will when you calm down."

"Damn you, Yuy, I _am_ fucking calm! Now let me up before I break off your balls and jam them down your throat!" He let her go before she could struggle again, and she spun around to punch him in the face. She stopped when she saw he was fighting not to laugh. "You pin me to the floor after I point a gun at you, and you think it's funny?"

"No, it's not that," he chuckled. "Your brother once threatened me in a similar fashion."

"You're a sick son of a bitch, you know that?"

This only caused him to laugh in earnest. "Oh, you're definitely his sister, there's no doubt about it now."

Rei just gaped at him, not sure what to think.

"He threatened to rip off my balls once, and when I thought it was funny, he called me the same thing," he tried to explain while regaining his composure. He helped her to her feet, and pointed down the hallway, his face once again covered by a cool, unfeeling mask. "The guest bedroom's at the very end. Make yourself at home."

Unable to come up with a smartass comment, Rei simply scooped up her stuff and went to check out her room. It was simple, a bed, dresser, nightstand. Nothing fancy, nothing personal. As a matter of fact, nothing about the house was personal. No pictures on the walls, not a hint of individuality in any of the décor. "Did you just move in or something?"

Heero shrugged, picking up after their little scuffle in the living room. Their coffee had been knocked on the floor, and the doorjamb was broken. "I've lived here for five years. Why?"

"Nothing," she replied. She turned down the bed and laid out some night clothes for later before returning to the living room to help him clean up. She grabbed the washcloth from his hand and rolled her eyes. "You scrub the carpet in a circular motion, not back and forth. And not so damned hard, you're only rubbing it in."

"Ok, you're the expert." He picked up the cups and dumped them in the sink.

"Of course I am," she snarled. "Duo used to track mud into the house on a daily basis." She fought a sudden urge to cry. Never in a million years did she think she would miss seeing his muddy boot prints on her pristine white floor. She bit down on her lower lip, fighting a sob. "Boys don't cry you stupid bitch," she muttered.

"Ok, what exactly does that mean?" Heero asked. "You said it earlier, and you're definitely not a boy."

She looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "When I was little, I wanted to play basketball with the boys at the church, but they laughed at me and wouldn't let me play because I was a girl. Duo dressed me up as a boy… we could've been twins if he hadn't been ten years older. The boys let me play, but when one of them charged me and I broke my wrist, Duo whispered in my ear, 'suck it up, Rei, little boys don't cry.'"

"Did you cry?"

She smiled sadly. "Not a tear all the way to the hospital. He carried me the whole way." A tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away before returning to the stain on the carpet. "He was the best older brother a girl could ask for, you know. He found me with Sister Helen after the massacre." She scrubbed the carpet harder. "And when the Prof decided to train him to fly the Deathscythe, Duo refused to go unless the Prof would take me too." She looked back up when he gently took the wash cloth from her.

"There won't be any carpet left if you keep at it like that."

"Sorry," she said, looking away to hide her reddening face.

He hunkered down on the carpet with her, and patted her arm. "He was my brother too, you know. How did he die?"

"Car accident. The person I spoke with said he'd sustained a few fractures, but that he suddenly died." She stared at him when he snapped to attention. "What?"

"Duo and the rest of us were trained to physically withstand the rigors of piloting. Even if a car wreck broke a few bones, nothing short of a head-on collision while flying like a bat out of hell would have killed your brother." He shook his head. "Rei, someone had your brother killed."

She nodded. "The thought had crossed my mind."

"Go to bed, get some sleep," he ordered. "We'll head out in the morning."

Rei closed the door behind her and dressed for bed. When she opened her bag to put her dirty clothes away, she finally lost her composure and collapsed on top of the duffel in a fit of heaving sobs.

She jumped at the knock on her door. "I'm fine," she choked, futilely rubbing at her face.

When Heero opened the door and saw her, he surprised himself by crossing the room and hugging her tightly. "It'll be ok," he said softly. "Don't cry."

"I'm sorry," she wept. "I'll be fine, really." She pushed at his solid chest, and he let her go. "I'm just exhausted, and it doesn't help matters."

He cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the whole situation. Tears didn't sit well with him, they never had. He couldn't stand to see a woman cry; even when Relena had cried her little crocodile tears, they had unsettled him. _Better not to think of her, she's gone, _he told himself. "You didn't have a picture of Duo, so I brought you this," he muttered, quickly handing over a photo.

Rei opened the folded picture and smoothed out the crease in the middle. It was almost as old as her picture of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. She sat down on the floor with a thump and just stared at her brother's face. "He was so young." Her voice cracked.

Heero hugged her closely again, remembering his father's final words. _Live by your emotions._ He'd had no one to comfort him when Odin had died, or when he'd finally split with Relena, and he would be damned if he'd make this girl bear her grief alone. "We'll avenge him," he promised. "Get in bed, and get some sleep. Sleep makes everything a little better."

Rei nodded. She let him help her into bed and tuck her in, and stared at the photo for several minutes once he had left the room. The photo was a picture of six young men and four young women. She recognized one of the women as Queen Relena; she'd seen her on TV when she was little. She stared at Heero's image for a moment. Duo had told her stories about him all her life; Heero Yuy was much the same as Duo had described him, but different in other ways than she'd imagined. People changed, she supposed. Even Duo had grown up and matured over the last five or six years. "God, they're all so young in this photo." She said to herself, before tucking it under her pillow and finally closing her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Revised April 2012

_"Heero, I have a little sister back home. She's only seven. If we don't make it out of this battle..."_

_"I'll take care of her, I promise."_

_"Thanks, old buddy. Her name's Rei. Hino Rei. Tell her that I died in battle, she's mature enough to understand... and that I love her, ok?"_

_Heero nodded solemnly. He never broke a promise._

_"And give her this." Duo took his cross off and handed it to him. "She'll know for sure, then..."_

Heero still had that cross lying in the bottom of one of his nightstand drawers. He'd tried returning it to Duo, but he'd been told to keep it just in case. He rolled over in his bed one last time, eyes wide open, completely unable to sleep. He finally gave into the persistent thoughts of that cross, and dug around in one of the few drawers of his apartment that contained anything of a personal nature.

That drawer was where he'd fished out the picture he'd given to Rei only a few hours ago, and it contained everything from photos to letters from the other pilots and Relena. His medals were shoved in the very back, as forgotten by him as his role in the wars was forgotten by most of the people. He finally found it, lying on the very bottom, next to a few old photos of himself and the other pilots. It was dark with tarnish, but when he rubbed a little of it off with his thumb, a hint of silver glowed in the light of his bedside clock. It would be pretty once he cleaned it up, and Rei would be grateful to have something of her brother's.

"God, I gave that girl such a hard time." _Live by your emotions, son._ His father's words would always be with him, no matter how hard Doctor J had tried to train the humanity out of him. Rei had mentioned the good doctor; he wondered just how his mentor had trained Duo's little sister. Was she an experiment of some kind? As far as he knew, none of protégés had been female, and all of them had been trained individually by one mentor. But Rei claimed to know both the Doc and the Prof. If only the mentors hadn't died on Peacemillion; he now had a list of questions he would have asked them.

"NO!"

Heero jumped out of bed, gun drawn, at the sound of Rei screaming down the hall. He sprinted to her room and slammed open the door, only to sigh with relief. She was dreaming. "God, that scared the shit out of me," he mumbled. He sat on the edge of the bed and shook her roughly.

Her skin was ice to the touch, and slick with sweat; it had soaked through her nightgown, causing the fabric to cling to her like a second skin. Her breathing was so heavy; it sounded like she'd just ran a mile. "Rei! Wake up, you're dreaming!" Heero yelled at her. He dodged the expected punch when her eyes snapped open, and pinned her arms to her sides when started to struggle. "Rei, it's me, it's Heero," he said calmly.

Recognition slowly filled her eyes, and she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him desperately in fear. The tears came, but unlike before, they were crazy, irrational, uncontrollable sobs. It took several minutes before she was rational enough to talk, despite the fact that she was shaking like a leaf. "I'm sorry," she finally managed.

"What was the dream about?"

"Duo," she answered, after taking a slow, ragged breath. "He died slowly, and bloody. You're right, someone killed him. My dreams are almost never wrong." He had called out to her with his final breath, the hope and love and laughter fading from his eyes as he finally let go of his body and went on to the next life.

"It was just a dream, Rei. It didn't really happen." He patted her back slowly, soothingly.

"No, Heero, you don't understand," she insisted, pulling herself back and hopping out of bed. "My dreams tell me things, they have since I was a child. I don't always know what they mean until after whatever it was they were trying to tell me actually happens, but I rarely ever have a dream that is simple _just _a dream." She scrubbed the tears from her face and dug in her duffel for some fresh clothing. "I know, it sounds insane, but it's true, I swear it. Just be glad I didn't sleepwalk, too. Duo once told me that it was always either terrifying or extremely entertaining."

"Did you dream about anything else?" He asked curiously. Maybe this was part of the Doc and the Prof's involvement with Hino Rei, he wondered to himself. Maybe they had screwed with her head or something when she was a child, and had somehow given her a touch of prophecy. It _did _sound crazy, but there were plenty of things in the universe that he couldn't explain.

She nodded, but wouldn't look him in the face. "I don't know what it means, though. I saw stars. They were all different colors. First, five of them joined, and then a sixth was added. Separately, they were bright and pleasant, but together they shined so strongly that they were blinding." She glanced back up at him in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't even worry about it." He glanced at her bed. "That mattress is soaked. You can crash in my room if you'd like, I'll hit the couch."

"Thank you," she managed. His kindness brought fresh tears to her eyes, and she couldn't control them as they spilled down her face. "I should've been there with him," she cried.

The tears made Heero want to run away, but he held her close again, and rocked her like a child. Something about her made him want to make it all better; he hadn't felt like this since he'd been with Relena. He dismissed that thought immediately. She was ten years his junior, and he was not about to start robbing any cradles. Yes, he was attracted to her, he admitted to himself, but that was as far as anything was going to go. He'd been attracted to plenty of girls since Relena, and he hadn't had a problem denying that feeling and keeping to himself. Still, holding a woman like this was nice, he conceded. Even if she was bawling her eyes out.

Ignoring her pride, she took the comfort he gave, and simply cried. She cried for Duo, for Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, for the parents she had never met. She cried for the Doc and the Prof, the only parents she had ever really known after the massacre on L2. What she wouldn't give for them to still be alive, to be able to listen to their wisdom and guidance. She let Heero hold her, and she clung to him and cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

7 AM, Space

Rei had cooked him breakfast when they had both woken, groggy and cranky from the night before. She wasn't much of a cook, but she threw together something that was edible and easy to make, and brewed some strong, chest-hair-growing coffee to help boost their energy for the day ahead.

Heero glanced over at her, sitting quietly next to him on the shuttle to L4. She had been nearly silent all morning, but he understood why. An emotional outpouring like that would have left anyone feeling empty and exhausted. She had eventually dozed off in his arms around three, and he had tucked her into his own bed before he had stumbled into the living room and passed out on the sofa.

"Thank you, Heero," she said quietly, unable to look at him. She felt something slip around her neck, and looked down to see a silver cross lying against her chest. "What's this?"

"Duo told me to give it to you a long time ago, should anything happen to him," Heero replied. "He spoke of you, you know. Duo always talked too much, but every time we were about to go into the heat of battle, he'd ask me to look after you if anything happened to him. He would always make me swear to tell you how much he loved you."

Rei clutched at the little crucifix. "I always knew," she replied with a watery smile. "Thank you."

Municipal Hospital

11 AM, Colony L4

Rei fingered the envelope that contained her letter, and then shoved it in her pocket. Duo just didn't look right. He didn't look gruesome or anything, like she'd feared, but the nurses had unbraided and washed his hair when they'd prepared the body. She drug a chair up to the head of the stretcher, and found a brush in the bedside table. "Sister Helen would totally disapprove of this new hairstyle," she clucked.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but you can't do that. The body has already been prepared," a nurse told her, moving to stop her from touching Duo's hair.

"She can do whatever she damn well wants," Heero growled. "Get out," he ordered. He drew his gun and pointed at the door with his free hand. "Now."

The nurse scurried out quickly without another word, and Rei gave Heero a grateful smile. "Thank you." She carefully brushed her brother's hair while she told him how much she loved him. She fought the tears; Duo wouldn't want her to cry right now. She told him stories about the horses and the cows; she thought he would have laughed at how she'd been charged by a bull a few weeks ago. "You always thought I was batshit crazy for wanting to become a farmer," she chuckled. "Maybe I was, but it's a peaceful life, and I don't regret it. I just wish you had visited me more often," she chided. She plaited his hair expertly, just as she did to her own every morning before going out to care for the livestock. Rei laid the braid across his chest when she was finished, and put the hairbrush away. She stared at Duo for what seemed a very long time. "Now, you look like my brother," she said quietly. Rei finally looked at Heero, who had been respectfully silent the entire time. "There's a small puncture wound on his neck."

Heero nodded. "At least it was quick. He didn't suffer. They probably killed him in his sleep."

Rei kissed her brother's forehead and took his cold hand in hers. "I will avenge you, Duo. I swear it with everything that I am. I swear it by your Gundam."

"Do you want to take him back for burial?" Heero asked, cracking open the door to make sure no one was coming. He was positive that nurse had gone to report them.

Rei shook her head. "Duo wanted to be floated. He said he always felt more comfortable in space, and that he didn't see a point in wasting perfectly good soil on bodies."

"Then we'd better get out of here before the cavalry arrives," he advised. "You have everything?"

Rei checked her bag, which contained the few things Duo had possessed when he had been admitted to the hospital. "Yeah, let's get the hell out of here."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

9 PM Colony L4

They had taken a cab to Duo's apartment after dodging the heavy security at the hospital. "Thank God for Heero," Rei mumbled to herself as she sat on her bed. The Perfect Soldier had guided her out of harm's way at every turn during their escape, shoving her down corridors that she hadn't even noticed when they'd entered the building. That man really knew how to pay attention to his surroundings. The hospital staff was probably still searching for them, and they were already long gone.

She pulled the letter from her pocket and studied it before finally opening it. "Let's see what you had to say, Duo."

_Rei,_

_I don't have much time left. Someone is in the next room, and I can hear them planning to kill me. I can't leave this bed since both of my legs are broken. I accept my fate; I just pray to God that you'll be safe and well taken care of._

_You probably met Heero on your way here, since I left a letter for him, too. He can be difficult, but don't give up on him. He's had a hard time over the last few years. It's not easy for us, you know. We're the discarded heroes of the solar system. Take care of him for me, and don't let him do anything too retarded._

_I need you to take Deathscythe Hell back to the Middle East. It's stored with the Zero, in a hangar not too far from here, and it should be a piece of cake to break them out. Track down Quatre and Wufei (and try not to piss off the Wu-man, alright?), and warn them that my murderer is plotting to assassinate all of the Gundam pilots. Have Heero contact Trowa; Quatre should know where Zechs is._

_Enclosed are instructions for operating Deathscythe Hell._

_Heero will probably try to stop you from taking Deathscythe, but I'm sure you can handle him. Just remember all the moves I taught you for disarming a man, and you'll be fine._

Rei tried her best not to laugh when a very old memory surfaced. She remembered Duo, much taller than her at the time, holding his balls and doing his very best not to collapse to the floor. The Prof and the Doc were laughing in the background, while she just scratched her head, trying to deduce what was so damned funny.

_Yeah, laugh it up, I'm know exactly what you're thinking about right now. That's spooky, isn't it? For the record, I couldn't walk straight for two days after that kick to the balls, thank you very much._

Rei couldn't hold it back; she began laughing so hard that it took her several minutes before she could continue reading the letter.

_I'm glad I made you laugh. I love you, baby sister. I hope that no matter what I did, you always knew how much I loved you, and how much I hated leaving you whenever I had to complete a mission. I want you to be happy, so don't mourn me for too long._

_Love, Duo_

She stuffed the letter and the instructions back into the envelope and slipped them into her pocket. When she looked up to study her old room, Heero was standing in the doorway, watching her

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll be ok."

"Duo left this for you." Heero held out an ID card, and she made a face when she took it.

"Rei Seras. White Hall Colony, L4. Born April 19, AC188. Status, married. What's this?"

"Your brother had the foresight to make us some fake IDs. They'll come in handy, since our appearance at the hospital caused quite a stir. We're on the news, you know. They put out an APB on us shortly after we got back here." He smiled a little when she gaped at him in shock. "What, you didn't think pulling a gun on a nurse would get us arrested?"

"They were expecting us," Rei deduced. She looked down at the ID and rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, I'm married to you," she remarked dryly.

Heero shrugged nonchalantly. "Call it a marriage of convenience. I have the marriage license and everything; we just need to sign it." He pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it to her, and not without a touch of a smile.

Rei snorted when she looked at it. Their marriage had been officiated by Father Maxwell, and that was clearly Duo's handwriting. "Sick fucking sense of humor," she grumbled, pulling out a pen and signing the paper with her false maiden name. "There." She gave him the paper and pen, and let him use her back as a writing table.

"That makes it official. We're married." Heero folded the document back up and carefully placed it in his wallet with all of his other false paperwork.

Rei blushed and gave him a hesitant smile. "No kissing of the bride, of course." She tried not to laugh when his own little smile wavered. "It was a joke, Heero."

A single eyebrow shot into the air. "A joke, as in I _can_ kiss the bride, or were you just being a smartass?"

Rei's blush deepened into a bright red flush. "Oh my God, I didn't mean that," she said quickly, waving her hand in front of her as if she could erase what she'd just said. "I'd kick Duo's ass right now if I could," she finished lamely. She looked at him in a different light for the first time. He really was a beautiful specimen of a man, and she could do worse for a husband, even a fake one. "I, um, think it would be a good idea for us to go to bed, now."

He simply couldn't help himself. "Together or separately?" He asked with false sincerity.

Rei whacked him on the arm. "Fucking smartass, you know damn well what I meant." She pointed down the hallway. "Bed. Now."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, giving her a flippant salute as he made his way out of her room.

3AM

Rei stumbled down the hallway and opened the first door on her left. She inhaled the familiar scent of her brother and climbed into bed with him, snuggling against his chest.

"Another nightmare?" Duo grumbled, pulling her tightly to him.

"Yeah," she agreed sleepily. "Love you, Duo," she yawned before dozing back off.

_Relena cuddled against him and circled an arm around his back. "Love you," she yawned._

"_Love you too," Heero breathed against her ear. He made a short trail of kisses along her cheek until he reached her mouth, then kissed her with everything that was in him. _

Rei snapped awake instantly and shoved her brother off of her. "Duo, what the fuck!" Her eyes widened when she realized what had just happened. "**Heero!"**

"Relena? What was that for?" His startled expression changed to one of horror when he realized what he had done. "**Rei!"**

Rei crossed herself. "Sweet Holy Mother! What were you doing!"

"What did you think I was doing?" He yelled at her. "A woman crawls into bed with a man at"—he looked at the alarm clock—"three in the morning, rubs up on him, and you expect a different reaction!"

"It wasn't like that, you fucking jackass! I was sleepwalking!" She yelled right back. "Sometimes when I have a dream, I sleepwalk, and being back in Duo's place probably made me come in here," she said defensively. She untangled herself from the covers and rolled out of the bed, stormed down the hallway and slammed her door behind her, clicking the lock into place.

5:30AM

Rei finally gave up on trying to sleep and crept into the kitchen to make some coffee. She lit a cigarette and laid her head down on the table with a yawn. "It's too damned early to be up when there aren't cows to milk," she whined. It was also too late to climb back into bed, so she decided against getting some more sleep.

The shower was still running, Heero had been in there for over thirty minutes. "Probably taking a cold one," she mused. She poured a cup of coffee, added a heap of cream and sugar, and made herself some toast. She tried to straighten up her bed-head with her fingers, but it was no use. She also tried her best not to think about what had happened. "God, that man can kiss," she mumbled. In hindsight, that kiss made her feel helpless and wanted all at the same time. She pushed down on the butterflies in her stomach. "Don't make me get a flyswatter," she threatened. Rei gulped some of her coffee when she heard the shower turn off. Who would have ever thought that the Perfect Soldier could kiss like _that_? It made her want to do it again, and there was no more denying the attraction she felt towards him. "Don't even _start_ thinking like that, Hino," she snapped at herself.

"Sorry, I thought you were still in bed." Heero tightened the towel around his waist self-consciously and just stood there, not sure what else he should say.

Rei turned her head, and fought the urge not to drool. Woof. "There's coffee," she managed. She had no qualms about letting her training take over in order to mask any emotion on her face. But she couldn't help but turn her head and check out his half-naked figure while he had his back turned to her. _No man should be allowed to look that damned good,_ she thought. She finished her toast to keep from babbling something stupid, and drank the rest of her coffee. "Move," she ordered, when she went to pour herself another cup.

"Aren't you just a bright ray of sunshine this morning?" He complained.

Feeling more than a little cranky, she bumped him with a hip to jostle him out of the way. "Move it or lose it, Yuy. It's too early, and I want coffee."

"Don't you usually get up this early on a farm?" He said loudly, as he walked down the hallway to put some clothes on.

"Yeah, but the cows don't care if I'm acting like a bitch. They just want to be milked," she snapped right back. She sat down with a normal cup of coffee and nursed it until he returned. "I warned you the other night that I sleepwalk," she said, getting straight to the elephant in the room.

"Yeah, you did," he conceded. Heero poured some coffee and sat down across from her. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I yelled at you."

"And I'm sorry that I shoved you."

"What? You didn't want me off of you?" He remarked in an attempt at humor. His eyebrows went up a little when she was obviously biting her tongue to keep from responding. "Sorry, it was a joke."

"I know," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's just too early, and my sense of humor is non-existent until eight." She lit a cigarette, and drank some more coffee.

"Those things will kill you." He reached for the pack, and lit one for himself. "I quit about six weeks ago, I don't know why I bothered."

They smoked companionably for several minutes before Rei finally spoke. "We crashing the hangar today?"

"We need to spy it out, first, see what we're dealing with."

Rei ran her fingers through her messy, tangled hair. "How long will that take? A few hours?"

"Possibly weeks," he warned her. He crushed his smoke in the ashtray. He held up a hand to silence her when she started to yell. "Everything depends on how heavily the place is guarded. We can walk around freely as civilians, but we can't just waltz into that hangar. We need to learn the guard changes, access codes, and etcetera. I'm assuming Duo and the Prof taught you how to hack?"

"Of course," she said with a shrug. "I type a lot faster than Duo, too, so speed shouldn't be an issue if there's a chance of getting locked out of the system."

"Good."

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Rei asked hesitantly. She had been curious for hours, now, and simply couldn't hold back any longer.

"Sure, but it doesn't mean I'll answer it." Heero stood up and rifled through the fridge for something to eat.

"Relena… is she Queen Relena?" Rei chewed on her lower lip, wondering how he'd respond.

"Yes. And we dated for a very long time," Heero answered with a sigh. "Please tell me that's all you're going to ask."

Rei shrugged with embarrassment. "Sorry. I just wondered." She put out her cigarette, and suddenly found the ashtray very interesting. "Why aren't you together anymore?"

Heero slammed his coffee cup on the counter. "Look, if I answer you, will you never bring it up ever again?" He snapped.

She looked up in amazement at his outburst; she'd obviously touched a sore spot. "I'm sorry Heero," she said sincerely, "you don't have to answer."

Heero's face softened, and he shook his head. "No, it's ok. I just don't like talking about it. In fact, I thought Duo's sister would already know all about this. Your brother was never one for keeping his mouth shut."

Rei gave a little shrug. "I only knew that you and Relena dated, and that she was madly in love with you. Duo told me once that he had no earthly clue how you could tolerate her for five minutes, let alone all those years."

Heero laughed, but there was little humor in it. "Duo, you're still such a prick," he muttered. "I wanted to get married, to drop off the face of the earth," he continued, "but Relena was too engrossed in politics to simply walk away and disappear with me."

"Selfish bitch." The words left her mouth before she could stop them. "Sorry," she said quickly.

"No, you're right. She was," he agreed bitterly. Heero was astounded at his ability to finally admit this; he had been telling himself for years that it was his fault; it was something that _he_ did wrong. He gave his new wife a little smile. "Thank you." It could have been Duo sitting there, or Trowa, telling him to let go, that Relena was a crazy, obsessive bitch that would never compromise, would never sacrifice for another ever again. She'd told him once that she was done giving up her life for others. She'd served her time as Queen, and while she didn't mind helping the greater good, she was finished giving up her entire life just so everyone else could be happy.

Rei gave him a companionable squeeze on the shoulder. "You're welcome. I'll be waiting whenever you're ready to start the job, Heero."


	5. Chapter 5

Dated revised: May 2, 2012

Chapter 5

March 11

12 PM Colony L4

The guard changes were easy to get around. The two that Rei and Heero needed to sneak past changed every two hours; one on odd numbers, and the other on evens. The hard part was staying hidden for an hour, then getting Rei to a shuttle safely. If it came to drastic measures, she could even ride in the cockpit of Zero while he piloted. Or perhaps he could steal a Taurus for her to pilot…

"Heero!" She yelled at him for the fourth time, stopping him in mid-thought.

"What?" He snapped right back. He looked over to see a guard staring at him strangely. "Sorry, I was thinking."

"That's what I smelled burning," Rei commented dryly. "I obviously only married him for his looks, ma'am, my apologies. She needs our papers, Heero."

"Oh." Heero dug them out of his wallet, handed them over, and waited patiently for the guard to scan his ID. "Is something wrong?" He asked when the guard looked up at him from the marriage license.

"You two sure don't act like newlyweds," she said suspiciously.

"And what should newlyweds act like?" Rei asked, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. She looked pointedly at the lack of a ring on the guard's finger.

The guard crossed her arms and studied the two of them carefully. "If you're married, I'm the Queen of the World."

Heero glanced around them out of the corners of his eyes. They were drawing too much attention. "I assure you, ma'am, we _are_ married. Rei just didn't get much sleep last night, and she's got a bit of a temper on her."

"That's putting it mildly," the guard replied. She studied their body language; not once had they even touched, it was almost like they were making a point of not being together. "Tell you what. Kiss her," she ordered Heero.

Heero shrugged like it was nothing, and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head to Rei. If they tried to refuse, it would only look even more suspicious. The guard would likely try to haul them in, where they would be fingerprinted. And once that happened, or someone saw their pictures, the game was up.

Rei's eyes widened when he wrapped an arm around her waist, kissed her passionately, and ran his fingers through her hair, bunching them at the back of her neck to keep her from pulling away and blowing their cover. Those same eyes fluttered shut in surrender when she found herself returning the kiss, and suddenly not minding when his hands started wandering. She had momentarily considered telling the guard to go to hell, but now she was pretty glad she hadn't. When his lips travelled to her throat she gurgled with pleasure and her eyes cracked open just the tiniest bit… to stare at three dozen people watching them with amusement. She quickly backpedaled just out of his reach, and gestured to their audience when he looked insulted. "For the record, I didn't want to stop you," she admitted, "I just thought it might be illegal to continue that sort of thing in the streets."

A few whistles came from the crowd, and she had the grace to blush. She tried to straighten her hair, but it was futile after Heero had messed with it.

"Satisfied?" Heero asked the guard, once he'd gotten his breathing under control.

The guard handed back their papers. "Shit, I wish someone would kiss _me _like that," she said wistfully. "You're a lucky woman," she directed at Rei.

"You have no idea," she replied dryly. Rei didn't protest when Heero slipped his hand into hers and led her away from the guard and the spectators. She waited until they were out of sight before she finally spoke. "Hot damn, Yuy, where did _that _come from?"

He shrugged. "What, I'm not allowed to know how to kiss?" He asked defensively.

"No man should know how to kiss like that. It's a compliment," she added quickly, when he gave her a look. "And I know you had to do it, you did the right thing. In fact, it's my fault; I should have acted more like a loving wife and less like an annoyed comrade. I'm babbling now, aren't I?" She asked aloud.

"Yeah, you are," he answered, but not without amusement. Part of Heero was very pleased that he could still get that kind of a reaction out of a woman just by kissing her. Another part of him was cursing his stupidity. He'd just kissed Duo's baby sister as if she was his lover and not a little girl ten years younger than him.

Rei stopped walking when she heard him mumble something about "little girl," and stomped her foot. "Damn you, Yuy, I'm not a little girl. I'll be twenty next month."

Heero stopped and stared at her. "This conversation isn't going where I think it is," he said bluntly.

"Huh? Just where did you think it was going? I just don't want you to treat me like a child. You weren't a child at twenty, think about it. You weren't even a child when you were fifteen. I grew up fast and hard, just as you did, and I might as well have been an adult when I was ten. So don't you dare refer to me as 'a little girl' ever again, you hear me?"

Stunned by her little speech, all he could do was nod. Her words and conviction weren't what he'd expected, he'd thought she was going to try and start some sort of relationship with him. "I apologize." _Way to take a man down a notch. And why am I slightly disappointed? _He pointed up and cleared his throat. "There's the hangar. Let's go check it out." He wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked side-by-side, the perfect example of newlyweds.

#########

Rei leaned against the door the moment it was closed behind them. "Thank God that's over," she moaned. "No offense," she added quickly. He'd done an impeccable job of playing the ardent lover during the rest of their reconnaissance, but if he kissed her one more time, she was going to wind up jumping him. It might not mean anything to him, but she was quickly growing fond of having his hands all over her; his mouth moving against hers.

"None taken," he snorted, and hung up his jacket. "You did well," he said with a nod.

Rei echoed his snort with one of her own. "Thanks. God, who would have thought you would be my first kiss?" She blurted without thinking.

Heero spun back around to stare at her. "Huh? You're kidding, right?"

Suddenly feeling very shy, Rei shook her head. "Sorry. It was part of the job, it's ok. _Really_, it _is_ ok."

_Oh Lord, _Heero thought. _This is just great. _"You're positive?" He had a sudden urge to kiss her again. He could see himself doing it right, softer, milder. That was how her first kiss should have been.

She nodded, and gave him an easy smile. "No, really, I'm ok with it." She decided to change the subject before she openly invited him to kiss her again. "Now that the recon's done with, can we go get our Gundams?"

"Our?" Heero frowned at her. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not piloting Deathscythe," he said firmly.

Rei pushed down on the anger rising inside of her like a flame. "I've flown her before, Heero. Once, when I was little. I was also the original test pilot for the Mercurius and the Vayeate before they got ahold of you and Trowa. Who in the hell did you think they'd based the schematics on? Duo?"

Unimpressed, he shook his head. "Not a chance, Rei. You can ride with me in the Zero, or I'll steal something for you that's not as difficult to fly. I don't think your body can take the strain of a long space flight in the cockpit."

She felt like smoke was going to come out of her ears if she went another minute without yelling at him in frustration, so she stalked her way down the hall to her room, locked her door, and screamed into a pillow. How could he be so wonderful, and then turn into the biggest flying douchebag in the solar system? How could he kiss her like that, like a man would kiss a woman, and then still treat her like a fucking child?

Rei made it a point to talk as little as possible when she finally came out of her room. Her voice was so hoarse from screaming into her pillow, she wasn't sure she _could_ actually speak more than a couple quiet words, even if she wanted to. He made no attempt to apologize, he simply ate what she cooked for dinner, thanked her for the meal, and headed to bed earlier than he'd wanted to. If he'd stayed in that kitchen with her another moment, he would have been forced to do something to break the tension. The only way to do that, however, was to apologize for being an asshole and agree to let her take the Gundam. He wasn't about to do that, though, so he'd endure the silent treatment until she cooled off.

Rei packed only what she absolutely needed to take with her, made sure her guns were in place, and moved stealthily down the hallway. Duo would have been proud at how silently she slipped out of the apartment… until she tripped over a cord tied low just outside the door, and nearly fell on her face. "Fuck," she gasped, and tried to untangle the string from around her ankle. Just as she flicked open a pocketknife to cut through it, the door swung open, and there was Heero, standing in his boxers.

He crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head back and forth. "Going somewhere, Rei?"

"Just out for smokes," she lied smoothly. "I couldn't find mine. What are you doing with a string tied that close to the steps?" She deflected. "You could've killed me."

"I thought you'd try something stupid, that's why it's there. As for your smokes, they're on the kitchen table, right where you left them."

"Oh, ok." Unable to think of anything else to do, she tried to go inside, only to have the string yank her back on her ass. "Ow!" She yelled, combined with a few choice swear words.

Heero kneeled and took the knife from her, muttering under his breath about the stubborn tendencies of her family, and cut her free. He noticed the limp she tried to hide when she went inside; at least that twisted ankle would keep her from trying to leave again for a little while. He scooped up her backpack when she set it on the couch, and opened it. "That's an awful lot of gear for going to the corner store," he said dryly. "I never knew you needed a laptop and four handguns just to purchase cigarettes. My God, what is this colony coming to?"

"Oh, shut up," Rei muttered. She sat on the couch, and couldn't help but sulk just a little. She finally stood and went to retrieve her smokes from the kitchen, and clenched her teeth the moment she put weight on her injured ankle. She bore the pain and limped her way to her customary morning seat, lit a smoke, and sat down dejectedly.

"You're gonna want to ice that," Heero advised. He propped up her foot up on the other chair, ignoring her when she insisted that she was fine. "Hold still," he ordered in his firmest tone, and removed her boot and sock. "Jesus Christ," he swore. "It's sprained, and you're an idiot."

"Oh, it is not," Rei snapped stubbornly. "It's just twisted, and it'll be fine in the morning." She looked down at it and barely managed not to grimace. It _was _sprained. Not badly, but it was already swelling. She let Heero make her an icepack and wrap it around the injured limb, but she shoved him away when he tried to scoop her up to carry her to bed. "I'm _fine, _damn it. Just leave me alone." She stood on her good leg and used the wall for support in order to hobble to her room. It took forever just to get her pants off without jarring the injury, but she managed it, changed tops, and tucked herself in.

"Son of a bitch," she grumbled, when she realized she'd have to get up again just to turn the light out. She'd be damned if she was going to ask for Heero's help after he'd stopped her from leaving, and she pulled the covers over her head to block out the light.

Heero crept into her room twenty minutes later to remove her ice pack; if it was applied any longer, it could worsen the injury. He thanked God that she was asleep, because he simply wasn't in the mood to argue with her anymore. He removed the pack, and cut off her light before returning to his own bed.

March 12, 8AM

"Don't think for even a second that this means I forgive you," she grumbled, when he carefully set her down next to the toilet. The ankle had swollen in the night, and while it was going back down with the aid of a new ice pack and some pain killers, she was going to lose the use of it for three or four days.

"You need me to stay, or can you handle it from here?"

"Out," she barked, and pointed at the door. She waited for the bathroom door to close before she dropped her panties and did her business. Never had a pee felt so damned good; she'd been holding it since her bladder had woken her at six, but had been too stubborn to ask for Heero's help. He'd found her sitting on the floor of her bedroom, trying her best to stand back up after losing her balance. He'd ignored her protests and simply scooped her up and carried her to the toilet, oblivious to the fact that neither of them were wearing very much.

It was tricky, pulling her underwear back up while balancing precariously on one leg, but she managed it. She brushed her teeth while she was in there, and combed her hair. Her pride having fled at this point, she meekly called the pilot of the Zero back in, and he dutifully took her back to her room, where he proceeded to help her put her pants on.

Rei was mortified. "You really don't have to do that," she insisted, when he slipped the jeans over her ankles, being careful not to jar the sprain. Not only was accepting his help embarrassing enough, she was having a hard time forgetting the feel of those nice, hard muscles when he'd carried her.

"Yes, I do. I need you ready to go in a few days, and you don't need to be putting any weight on that ankle." He stood her up on one leg, and had her wrap her arms around his back while he pulled her jeans all the way up. Heero couldn't help but linger for an almost imperceptible moment just to enjoy the feel of them holding each other. "Going up," he warned her.

Rei moved her arms around his neck and let him carry her to the couch, now all too aware of his physique. She knew she was blushing when he finally put her down. "Thanks," she managed, when he propped her up and handed her the remote. She sighed a breath of relief when he took that awesome body of his out of the room, hopefully to go put some clothes on.

She turned on the TV and sat up straight in alarm. "Heero, we're on TV, and they've got pictures!" She shouted as she turned the volume up.

"…these pictures were taken in the White Hall Colony just yesterday, and appear to contain two fugitives: Heero Yuy and Rei Hino. As you all remember, Yuy was the pilot of the Wing Zero Gundam, and a recognized war hero. Neo OZ will not disclose why exactly he is wanted. The young woman with him is the younger sister of the pilot of the Deathscythe Hell, Duo Maxwell. She is also a skilled pilot and should be approached carefully. Her brother regrettably passed away several days ago in a motor vehicle accident a few miles outside the capitol."

Rei closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing and the pounding of her heart. "Oh no," she groaned. "Heero, what are we going to do? Our pictures are all over the television; we'll _never_ be able to sneak back out to the hangar."

"We won't have to," he assured her, "we've got everything we need. We'll wait a few days, let your ankle heal, and let them think we've left the colonies. Then we'll hack the codes we need and immediately get the Zero before they change those codes."

"You know, if we don't get the Deathscythe at the same time, we'll never see it again."

"It's a loss we'll have to live with," he replied, trying his best not to be cold. "Sorry."

"If I could get up right now, I'd rake my nails down your face, asshole."

"Which is why I'm still out of reach," he quipped. "You hungry?"

"Yes," she answered cautiously. "But don't think for a moment it's going to butter me up."

She let him wait on her hand and foot for the rest of the day while she kept her trap shut and quietly plotted the theft of the Deathscythe Hell. And when she woke up in bed with him the next morning, she tried not to be disgusted with herself; she was snuggled up against him, and he had an arm wrapped protectively around her waist. She buried her face in the pillow and breathed in the comforting scent of her brother, as if it could banish Heero Yuy from the bed.

"You're awake?" He asked groggily.

A grunt was her only response.

"You were trying to sleepwalk on that ankle, I had to do something," he explained in a sleepy mumble. "You calmed down immediately when I brought you in here."

"Calmed down?" She asked worriedly. Funny, she didn't really remember having a nightmare, and only the worst of nightmares would put her in that kind of hysterics.

"You kept trying to tell me something about the stars."

She rolled over and shook him fully awake. "You have my attention. What did I say? Was it the same dream I had the other night?"

Heero shook his head wearily; he'd really only gotten a few hours of sleep. "Something about blood in the stars, Rei, you weren't making any sense." He pulled her to him against his better judgment in an effort to soothe her, running his fingers through her hair. "Go to sleep," he said, coming as close to whining as the Perfect Soldier ever had.

Rei snapped awake an hour later, and slid out of the bed, taking care not to put any weight on her bad leg. "Blood in the stars, halo on the moon." She knew she had heard something about a halo around the moon once as a child, and she pulled out her laptop to look it up. "In folklore, a halo around the moon is considered to be a bad omen, or warning of a coming storm."

"You should have woken me," Heero chided her from behind.

"You were sleeping," she replied absently. "I didn't want to wake you. Here, look at this." She scooted over on the couch so he could look at the screen.

"It's a moon ring." He shrugged.

"I dreamt of a ring on the moon and blood in the stars. A ring is a bad omen; blood in the stars means that war is coming to the colonies. I'd bet my life on it. We need to accelerate things," she said firmly.

Heero just stared at her. "You can barely walk. Let me guess: you want to hack the codes now and go steal the Zero tonight."

"No, I want my Gundam, too. We're taking both, Heero, and I'm not arguing with you about it for one more fucking minute. I'm not riding in the Zero, I'm not taking a Taurus or a Leo, and I'm definitely not staying here."

March 14, 9PM

Colony L4

Rei wondered to herself if she'd be able to get back down that damned ladder; she sincerely hoped she wouldn't have to call Heero up here to save her stupid ass. She sat on the couch she and Duo had drug up to the roof when she was fifteen. Duo had preserved it under a tarp to keep out the dust and rain, and it was still as comfortable tonight as it had been on the first day they'd found it.

They'd loved watching the stars, and while Rei hadn't bothered to stargaze in years, she had missed it on clear nights when she'd thought of her brother. She sighed. "What would you want me to do, Duo?" She asked the night sky. She was through arguing with Heero, he'd flatly refused her even after she'd badgered him about the Deathscythe for another twenty-four hours.

He'd cooked her meals, carried her when she needed to go to bathroom, and had even woken up that morning with her curled around him, and hadn't bitched about the lack of sleep. She couldn't help the little smirk that crossed her lips. In fact, he'd seemed to enjoy having her in the bed with him. Rei couldn't deny that she'd been secretly happy to wake up with him beside her. "You're such an idiot."

She checked her watch. She'd been up here for six hours, and still no sign of him showing up to apologize. She let her mind wander, and thought of home. She'd called Jessica that morning to check on the livestock, and told her to hire help if necessary; she now had three hands working her farm all day, which was just fine with her. Maybe when she got home, she'd keep one or two of them, since she had been getting burned out on doing everything by herself.

Home. She felt a pang of longing for her house, and especially for the horses. Living in the country, as isolated as it was, it still had its perks. It was open, beautiful, and free. It made her feel the same way she'd felt as a child when she'd flown a mobile suit. Riding a horse through green fields wasn't the exact same, but it came pretty close to flying. She remembered riding with Duo whenever he came to visit, racing on her favorite horses, laughing at her brother when her horse once threw him for riding like a jackass.

A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek, and she sighed. "I'll go warn the other pilots, then I'll go home," she decided. Rei wanted more than anything to avenge her brother's death, but if Heero was going to constantly be in her way, it would be impossible for her to complete such an objective. "Duo wanted me to be happy, and that's what I'll do."

"Glad to hear it," Heero said from the edge of the roof.

"What, that I'm going home?" She shot back nastily.

"No, that you're going to be happy," he replied. His response sounded so genuine that Rei couldn't come up with anything mean to say. Heero sat down next to her on the couch, and looked up at the night sky. "The weather programmers scheduled a shower for ten, so I thought I'd come get you." He finally spoke again after a long silence. "Are you really going home?"

Rei nodded, hesitated, then shook her head. "I can't," she finally admitted. She looked over at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "Let me avenge him, Heero. He… he was all I had, and now he's gone." The tears spilled over, and she didn't have the strength to push him away when he enfolded her in his arms.

"I can't let you do it, Rei," he said gently. "This is risky at best, but most likely it's a suicide mission. Duo wouldn't want you to get killed on his behalf. I'll do it, you go home." Heero felt his heart skip a beat when she looked up at him. The tears in her eyes made them look starry, beautiful. He suddenly realized what he'd been doing the last few days; he was trying to protect her, as he'd done for Relena. As hard as it was to admit to himself, he cared for her, more than he'd cared for anyone in years. And damn his eyes, he couldn't help it when he suddenly closed the gap between them and captured her lips with his own.

Everything suddenly made sense to Rei: his refusal to let her pilot, the little innocuous touches throughout the last few days. The way he held her at night… the way he was holding her now. This was the way he'd kissed her two days ago, only now, she could tell that he truly meant it. It was soft, like a summer rain, but as fierce as a storm in its hunger. He broke away, and her eyes fluttered open. "Wow," she breathed.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said quickly, horrified by his lack of control. He separated from her before he could do something else they might regret, and backed away from the couch. "I'm sorry; I let my dick get the better of me."

"What happens when you go on this mission alone, Heero?" She asked, ignoring his apology. "You wanted me to be happy, right? I don't think I'd be very happy if you wound up dead." Everything she said was true, it only took him kissing her to realize that she had feelings for him; deeper feelings than she could have imagined. "I'm going with you," she stated flatly.

Heero moved to support her when she stood and hobbled over to him, but holding her broke his resolve, and he was kissing her again before he could stop himself. "No, we need to stop," he said, when he broke away and she tried to kiss him in return.

"Why?" She asked a little breathlessly.

"Because you're too young," he said lamely.

Rei felt hot fury rising up in her, and gave him a weak push. "You're such an asshole!" She yelled at him. "What? The Perfect Soldier isn't allowed to have feelings? Do you think I'll get in your way or something? How can you possibly be so damned irresistible one moment, and such a pedantic prick the very next! Do you _ever_ get tired of being such a self-righteous bastard?"

"I'm sorry." That was all he could come up with.

"No, you're not sorry. If you were the least bit sorry, you'd acknowledge that I'm an adult, and perfectly capable of choosing my own path." She would have stomped off if her leg had been fully healed, so her exit wasn't as dramatic as she had planned. Still, she managed to make her way down the ladder and into the apartment. She closed her bedroom door and locked it before she sat on the floor. She couldn't help but cry, the one man she'd let herself feel anything for, and he'd rejected her. "Fine, he doesn't want anything more than a mission partner, I can accept that," she finally resolved. "But he's going to come up with something better than that 'you're too young' piss-poor excuse."

March 15, 2AM

_…you have to stop it, Rei… _

_ "Huh?" She shook the radio on her desk, trying to get better reception, but only the sound of snow came through. "Stop what?"_

_ …find… pilots… _

_ The rest came through garbled, and then suddenly there was a shrill scream coming through the radio. She clapped her hands over her ears, but the scream only got louder. _

_ …REI!..._

_ "Duo!" She cried. "Duo, what's wrong!" The scream came through again, but it was distinctly female; it wasn't her brother's voice. It sounded almost like… her own voice._

_ …STARS, REI!... PILOTS! _

_ There was a more white noise, then the unmistakable HEERO!…LISTEN!... DREAMS!..._

Blinding pain brought her out of the nightmare, just as she was adjusting the dial on the radio, and she clutched at her face and sat down hard on the hallway floor.

Heero slammed the door open after hearing the _thunk_ against his door and the sound of her falling. He fought the urge to laugh, and failed miserably; her nose was clearly broken, and she looked downright pitiful.

She held her nose, still caught in the in-between of waking and sleeping, trying to find the radio that had only just been in her hands. She'd almost had it, too! The reception had started to clear, and she was sure she would've been able to understand whatever it was he had been trying to tell her.

"Are you ok?" Heero asked when he realized she wasn't completely with him.

"He was there," she cried, "but I woke up!"

"Who?" He asked gently. "Duo?"

"Yes!" She cried hysterically. "He was telling me something, something about the stars, the pilots." Realization crossed her face. "The pilots are the stars," she said so quietly that it was barely audible.

"Tell me all about it in a minute, Rei. We need to set that nose." Heero carried her to the bathroom without another word, and held her face over the sink. "This is gonna hurt." That was the only warning he gave before he shifted her nose back over and a gush of blood filled the sink.

To her credit, Rei barely made a sound; she was still too engrossed in her dream to really acknowledge what was going on in the real world. "He said 'listen,' Heero. I think that was meant for you."

"What exactly did he say?" Heero held a washcloth to her nose, and applied pressure to slow the bleeding, and cut on the water to rinse out the sink.

"'You have to stop it. Find pilots. Rei. Stars, Rei. Pilots. Heero. Listen. Dreams,'" she replied, finding herself focusing harder than she ever had to recount the dream. "I was in my house, and it was just the same," she continued, closing her eyes. "It was winter, I could see the snow falling outside the window in my study. There was this old-fashioned radio sitting on my desk, just like the one at home, and I could hear static. But every few seconds, Duo's voice came through. He was speaking in sentences, but every other word was distorted. Then…" She stopped herself before she mentioned the screaming.

Heero found himself hanging onto her every word, despite how crazy her statements sounded. "And then? What happened next?" He nearly shook her to make her speak when she just stared at him for a moment.

Rei shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I ran into the door when I was trying to adjust the reception… I almost _had it_, Heero. I can't explain how I know it, but I _do_. Another turn of the knob, and I would have been able to hear him." She found herself crying again in her desperation to explain what she'd seen and heard, but couldn't find the right words to tell him.

Heero tried to think of a way to comfort her, some way to make her believe it would truly be alright, but found himself unable to do anything. Duo wanted him to listen? To who? To Rei? _Heero. Listen. Dreams._ Listen to what she was telling him about her dreams, maybe? Did Duo expect him to figure it out? God, that sounded absolutely batshit. Pilots saw things in the skies all the time, things that had absolutely no explanation, but the idea of Rei hearing her brother in a dream, it was borderline ridiculous. And for some reason, he believed her. "Duo told me to listen, Rei. Right? Listen to what? What do you need to tell me?"

Rei took a fresh cloth and washed her face in the sink, cleaning the blood and tears from her cheeks and nose. "I'm flying Deathscythe. His letter told me to take it, and I think he was trying to tell me to tell you to listen to me. Or to listen to the dreams. I don't know," she said helplessly. "I really don't know. He sounded so urgent, and then… there was this screaming. He was trying to talk over it. He wants me to find the pilots, he made that clear. We need to _go_, Heero."

"When your ankle's healed, we'll go."

########

March 16, 8AM

Heero desperately clutched the letter she'd left him as he pulled on his clothes. The smell of smoke in the air was still fresh, and her coffee cup was still warm; she couldn't have gotten far. He rushed out the door, running down the sidewalk, hell-bent on catching her before she did something stupid.

_Heero,_

_I get the feeling that you really don't want or need me around anymore, and while it hurts, I understand. Frankly, your presence is just as confusing for me, and I need to stay on track to complete the mission that Duo set out for me. I need to find the other pilots, and I need to do it now. I simply can't ignore the urgency of my brother's voice. Enclosed are the codes to access the Zero, I hacked them while you slept. I hope they don't change them before you can get to your Gundam. Emotions shouldn't get in the way of work, I understand that, and I respect why you felt so conflicted. Maybe we'll meet again on Earth, and we can start over. _

_Please know that I'm not doing this to hurt you, Heero. We both want different things, and right now I want to avenge my brother. Please think of me fondly, I know I'll never forget you._

_Rei_

Heero would have punched himself in the face if he could have done so while running down the sidewalk. He should have acknowledged his feelings for her on the roof, should have never said a word about their ten year age difference. She wasn't doing this to hurt him? Bullshit. It hurt like hell, and he wasn't letting her get away.

##########

Rei glanced over when someone sat next to her on the bus. She'd only taken it because her ankle had started to throb after the first mile, and she didn't want to take any painkillers before piloting. She stared at Heero, stunned that he'd found her at all, let alone so quickly. She glared at him once she'd gotten over her shock. "I have nothing else to say to you, Heero," she whispered, just to keep her voice in check. Leaving him was one of the hardest things she had ever done, and his sudden appearance wasn't making matters any easier.

"Fine," he growled. "But before I go, I just want to tell you that you're full of shit. We want the same things." He stormed off the bus, and wasn't in the least bit surprised when she came barreling out of the bus, bag in hand.

"We do?" She asked carefully.

He closed the gap between them, and held her tightly. "This can't interfere with the mission, Rei," he said hoarsely.

His words were emotionless, but his face was anything but. Rei nodded her head once, amazed at how she had missed that fire in his eyes. The sexual tension between them was now so obvious, she felt retarded for not picking up on it better and sooner. She could see now that what she'd thought was merely a momentary lapse in judgment on his part was really a burning desire for her. She ran her fingers through his hair, and marveled at how quickly the tension in his shoulders eased.

Rei was the one to kiss him this time, and it was as if he was waiting for it. He returned it immediately, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue, and moaned when she ran her fingers down his back to rest at the base of his spine. "Home," he gasped urgently. "We need to get back home."

"Yeah," she agreed. Another moment of standing there, and they'd be causing quite the scene right in the middle of the capitol.


	6. Chapter 6

Revision March 3, 2012

Chapter 6

March 22

11AM, Colony L4

Rei finally rolled out of bed at eleven and limped her way to the bathroom. She was careful not to wake Heero, since they'd both been up well past dawn. She couldn't help the grin that crossed her lips. God, last night had been amazing.

She'd heard stories, seen romances on TV, but she'd never imagined that what they'd done last night could be _that_ good. Of course, they hadn't done _everything_, but they had time for that. Heero had been surprisingly insistent that they wait; giving her the option to back out with her honor intact should she change her mind later. She chuckled at that. Who would have thought a soldier would value chastity?

Rei gurgled with pleasure when she climbed into the hot water spraying out of the shower. It soothed her sore muscles, and washed away the sticky sweat from the night before. She washed her hair and scrubbed from the neck down, taking care to clean very well in the areas that mattered. She squealed when the shower curtain snapped back, and made every effort to cover herself.

"Shy after last night?" Heero asked with a sheepish grin. He wasn't about to tell her that she was doing a pretty poor job of covering up, and enjoyed the view while he could.

"Yes, I'm shy! Modesty's a virtue!" She chided good-naturedly, and yanked the curtain back into place. She waited until he left before cutting off the water and stepping out onto her towel. She dried off quickly, wrapped up in the towel, and stepped out into the hallway.

Heero gave her an appreciative look from head to toe before kissing her soundly. "Good morning."

"Morning," she said a little coyly. She couldn't look him in the face without blushing, so she focused on her toes. "I… um… better go get dressed. We have a lot of work to do."

He sighed in disappointment. "Yeah, I know. I'm going to shower; I'll be out in a few minutes."

Rei opened up her notebook and checked around in Neo OZ's servers, making sure to keep a low profile in their systems.

"Are you doing something illegal?" Heero asked, surprising both of them with his up-beat tone.

She snorted in amusement. "Always. Just checking the codes, I want to make sure they're still valid before we head out. I'll check them once again before we leave." Satisfied with her findings, she snapped the notebook shut and unplugged any means of connecting to the internet. She didn't want anyone tracing back to her computer. She smiled at him when he brought her a cup of coffee and something to eat, followed by a long kiss. "You sure do get happy when you get some," she teased.

"Yeah, I do," he admitted. "Give me a couple hours, and I'll be back to normal," he assured her with a lazy smile.

Rei snickered as she bit into her toast, and couldn't help but admire that sated, pleased look on his face. His smile did something to her that she just couldn't explain; it was like she could refuse him nothing when he flashed those pearly whites.

###########

9:30PM, Colony L4

She went into Duo's room and started searching. She knew it was in here somewhere, and she finally found the cardboard box under the bed. "Pay dirt," she said with grim satisfaction.

"What are you doing?" She heard from behind.

"You told me to get ready, and I'm getting ready." She tossed him a 9mm over her back, and hearing him catch it, followed up with a clip. She listened to him load it. She donned a vest holster, made for four guns. Heero bent down and quickly helped her load four pistols and secure them against her chest. She didn't forget her last gun, hidden in one of Duo's dresser drawers, and stuffed it in her back pocket. It was the _only_ gun in the house that was registered and licensed. It was her brother's pistol, with the Archangel Michael holding his sword, beautifully carved into the sandalwood grip. The old .45 six-shooter was more for luck than protection.

She put one of Duo's black jackets over the holsters, covering them from view. "Let's go," she said with finality.

Heero looked at her strangely. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She shrugged, and gave him a faint smile. "I'm fine. This is business, remember? I thought we were supposed to keep it separate."

He nodded, impressed with her break from emotion. _J and G trained her well._ "You're exactly right. Let's go."

##############

10:45 PM

Colony L4

They were waiting between guards changes, cramped into an abandoned storage room. They figured it was abandoned, anyway. Dust caked layers of old furniture and outdated electronics, and there wasn't any indication that anyone had been in there recently.

They had successfully dodged the first five guards at the main gate, and now only a few more guards stood between them and their Gundams. "Fifteen minutes," Heero whispered in the dark. He moved to sit next to her, and draped an arm around her back.

"Do you think this guard change will be as easy as the last?" She asked with concern.

"Shut up," he said, and kissed her.

"The job," she gasped against his lips. She pushed him away. "When we're on Earth," she said breathlessly, getting up from the ancient loveseat she was sitting on. She brushed the dust off her butt and tried to smile at him in the dim light. "Sorry."

"No, I understand," he said gently. "You remember what to do if we're seen?"

She nodded. "Split up and haul ass to the hangar. Move quickly and quietly."

"Cor—" He stopped suddenly at the sound of voices just outside their door. He sensed Rei tensing as they both drew their guns in unison and chambered a bullet. Heero was hoping that this operation was going to be blood-free, but it didn't look that way anymore. "Hope in one hand," he muttered.

"Shit in the other," Rei finished for him. She suddenly had a brilliant idea and grabbed his hand before he could turn the knob. "Just wait a second," she urged. "If it's not just a patrol, I can handle it." The voices grew louder, were all male, and were all obviously drunk. The voices grew louder, were all male, and were all obviously drunk.

The voices stayed at the same volume; they were obviously camping out right there in the alley. "Shit," Heero growled, looking at his watch. "It's five 'til. We should already be on the move."

Rei holstered her gun. "Stay in the shadows," she ordered, and slipped out the door silently.

_What!_ Heero thought, _is she nuts? _What was she going to do, beat up three fully armed men? He cracked the door and watched her sidle up to the guards, and saw her do nothing that he would have thought of.

"Hey boys, I'm a little lost," she said shyly, giving them her most sensuous smile. She radiated pure sex as she took a seat at the little poker table they'd set up in the alley.

"Where you headed, sugar?" One of the guards asked her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Home with you, I hope," Rei said with a tip of her head, obviously checking him out.

"Looks like someone came to give Big Jim his birthday present," one of the other guards snickered, and offered her a beer.

"Jim couldn't get a piece of ass if he _paid_ for it," the third guard sneered. "Come on over here, honey, I'll show you a much better time than he will."

"Hey, she sat with me first," Jim said angrily.

"Boys, _boys!_" Rei said. "Didn't your mommas ever teach you how to share?" She asked suggestively.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Number Three said, swaying as he stood up. He pulled Rei to him, and kissed her sloppily.

She tried not to gag; the stink of liquor was so strong on his breath that it was making her lightheaded. She saw Heero's shadow creep up behind Number Two, whose full attention was on her and Number Three. _Thunk!_ Number Two fell to the ground, and she kicked Three in the side of the head. She looked to Jim and gave him a little smile. "Sorry," she said with a shrug, when Heero walked up behind him and hit him over the head with the butt of his gun.

Heero studied the unconscious men, and nodded. At first glance, they looked just like a bunch of guards that had too much to drink. He looked up at Rei, who was scrubbing her lips with her sleeve. "I think I'm feeling a little jealous," he said, but not without humor.

"Don't be," she gagged. "The man was disgusting." She took a swig of water from a bottle in her bag, and spat on the pavement."

"I have to admit, that was pretty amazing."

"Well, flirting didn't seem to be your strong suit, and I figured your tits weren't big enough to be enticing," she said with a grin.

11:15 PM Colony L4

Wing Zero was still in pristine condition, but Heero climbed in just to make sure while Rei simply stared in awe at her brother's Gundam. He felt a tiny smile cross his face as he remembered his first sight of the Wing Gundam, which was being stored at the Desert Base.

Rei's face hardened with an expression that Heero couldn't decipher as she approached Deathscythe. "What are you doing?" He yelled to her from the cockpit of Zero. She didn't answer, and he swung down to the ground when she kneeled at Duo's Gundam's leg. "What are you doing?" He repeated.

Rei sighed in frustration, searching for the hidden panel that Duo had described in his instructions. "I'm looking for something. Could you be quiet for a minute?"

She went back to what she was doing and pulled Duo's six-shooter from her back pocket. This was starting to get interesting. He watched Rei pull down on a pin in the metal of the leg, and a small sheet of it fell off, exposing an impression of the Archangel Michael.

She grinned, and pressed the handle of the gun into it. Deathscythe lit up. "No way," Heero said. "We discussed this, remember? You'll ride with me, and we'll tow the Deathscythe to Earth."

Rei rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Heero, but plans have changed. Nothing personal. Duo gave me a mission, and I'm not going to fail it."

"VOICE CONFIRMATION, PLEASE," the Gundam computer asked.

"Hino Rei."

"PASSWORD."

"Azriel has arrived."

"ACCEPTED."

Heero watched the door to the cockpit open, and the bungee cord slide down to take her up. "Nothing personal, my ass," he grunted, and went to pull his gun. Duo's Peacemaker was at his temple before he could even reach for his back pocket.

"I'm flying," she stated defiantly. "I care for you, Heero, but this is _my_ mission. I'm taking the Deathscythe whether you like it or not."

"You can't fly Deathscythe Hell," he protested. "Only Duo had the skill and the reflexes to handle her." He kept still, noting that her hand didn't shake like the first time she'd pulled a gun on him. _Guess my better traits are starting to rub off._

"I flew Vayeate and Mercurius when I was _a child__, Heero. We've been through this. I was one out of only two pilots to master the Zero System. I think I can handle Deathscythe." Through arguing, she grabbed the cord and let it pull her into the cockpit._

"Asshole," she mumbled, readying the Deathscythe for space flight. Where did he get the right to speak to her like that? Duo had explicitly ordered her to take his Gundam, and that was exactly what she was going to do. It was frankly amazing that Heero still couldn't wrap his brain around her flying abilities.

"Rei." She looked at her vidscreen.

"What do _you_ want?" She spat.

"I was going to ask if you'd like to do the honors... this hanger's not going to blow up on its own..."

She glared at him for a moment, but it gradually softened; she knew this was Heero's way of an apology. She fired up the thermal scythes, and grinned like an idiot as she tore through wood and metal, setting the building ablaze. "Party time," she laughed, when the base sirens started to scream.

Rei looked under the main dashboard and found the present she'd given Duo. "Fucking sweet."

She pushed a few buttons, and quickly had Metallica blaring in the cockpit; she had to turn it down a bit before it made her go deaf, but she figured it was a fitting soundtrack for mayhem and destruction.

"Are you done playing around?" Heero asked patiently.

She couldn't stop grinning. "Yeah, sorry. What's up?"

"We have company."

Rei pulled up her radar and swore creatively. Two pairs of Mercurius and Vayeate were headed straight for them, and they were closing fast. She initiated her thrusters and flew up to where Heero was waiting for her, weapons at the ready.

An unfamiliar face popped onto her screen. "Identity yourself, and lay your weapons at the deck. If you refuse, we will open fire."

Rei watched her screen with glee when Heero answered immediately. "This is Heero Yuy. I am reclaiming the Wing Zero. If you open fire, we will retaliate."

"I repeat my order. Pilot of Zero-Two, give your name and eject at once."

Rei could see the sweat dripping from the enemy's pilot face as he gave his orders. He was terrified… just as he should be. She punched the return button on the screen. "The name is Rei Maxwell, Azriel, the Angel of Death. I'm reclaiming my brother's Gundam. Tell your superiors that I _will_ avenge his murder. Shinigami lives through me, and will not be extinguished so easily."

The officer was clearly shaken at the mention of The God of Death, and replied, "Ma'am, I repeat, please give up at once. We do not want to open fire, but if you force us—"

"Just relay the message, errand boy. We're not surrendering. Get out of the way, or I'll blow you straight to Hell." She looked at Heero's face on the other side of the monitor. "Ready?"

"Affirmative. Lead the way."

They both flew straight up, taking off for space. The other mobile suits wisely didn't bother to follow.

March 23

2 AM, Earth's Orbit

_You did good, baby sister._

_ "Huh?" Rei's eyes snapped open, and she found herself looking out the window in her study at the lightly falling snow. The moon broke through the clouds, and it was glorious and full, surrounded by a large blue halo. _

_ Storm's coming._

_ "Duo?" She turned her head and looked at the radio. It was on, and there was the sound of mild static, but nothing like what she had heard before. She shook it when there was no response. "Duo?" She called again._

Rei opened her eyes groggily, still trying to shake an answer out of that damned radio. "Damn it, Duo," she groaned. She wiped the sweat from her brow and lit a cigarette, using a little dent in the dashboard as an ashtray. It looked like Duo had hammered it in there himself solely for that purpose.

She looked at her hand when she finally crushed her cigarette out. She was filthy. "Great, and I didn't bring any clothes," she whined. "Well, it's not like I had enough room anyway." She shook her head wearily. She was about to meet the other pilots for the first time, and she was sitting there in dust-and-sweat-caked clothes.

An idea came to her, but she hesitated before digging around in the back of the cockpit. Surely Duo would understand, since he was always so immaculate in his dress, and a stickler for appearances. He wouldn't want his baby sister looking like something that had just crawled out of a drainpipe. She blocked all vidscreen calls from coming in so that she could change clothes in privacy.

She stripped, and breathed a sigh of relief to be out of those nasty clothes.

"Rei? Why did you block your vidscreen…_**ohmyGod**_..."

She whipped around, stark naked, and just stared. She was too confused for the moment with a technical question, rather than her nudity. "Ummm... how can you see me if I didn't hit the return button?"

Heero just stared blankly, jaw hanging. He may have seen most of her assets already, but he looked like he was about to have a nosebleed.

She threw Duo's clothes on quickly. Fixing her guns beneath the priestly garb, she took her seat while she buttoned up the jacket. "Did you hack into my main communications?" She asked knowingly.

"Yeah… um, sorry about that."

"Well, aren't you a naughty thing?" She asked with a grin. "I believe I have a peeping tom on my hands."

"You can have more than that if you like," he replied, giving her an impertinent wink.

Her grin got bigger. "Maybe on the ground, sexy man. When do I get to meet the other pilots?"

His smile vanished. "Soon, unfortunately. Wufei had problems… with accepting female pilots. And since there's never been a female Gundam pilot, I'm not sure how he'll react. It probably won't be good."

"Just great." She began braiding her hair so it would fit in her helmet during re-entry. "Any ideas?"

Heero stared at her silently for a moment. "Did anyone ever tell you that you look—"

She shook her bangs into place after tying off the braid and letting it fall down her back. "I know, I know. But it's the only way my hair will fit in the helmet."

"Well, there's your idea. You look just like Duo. Damn, in those clothes, you could pass for his twin."

"Do my clothes look clean at least? They've been in here for years."

"God, you're as bad as your brother."

"No, I'm not." She grinned broadly. "I'm worse."

###########

3 AM, Saudi Arabia, Earth

Quatre's face appeared on Heero's screen. "This is a restricted area. We have your mobile suits locked on target. Identify yourselves at once or we will be forced to shoot you down."

"Shove it, Quatre," he replied as he punched the return button.

"Heero! It's good to see you! Is that Duo with you?" Quatre beamed at him cheerfully, ecstatic to see his friend after so many years.

"Yeah, I'll wake him up in a minute."

Quatre nodded in understanding. "Yeah, Duo sure likes his sleep. I won't bother him; he's cranky when he first wakes up. When you two land, we'll talk. I'm assuming that you're not here for just a friendly visit." He frowned at that last statement; as happy as he was to see Heero and Duo, their presence could only mean that war was coming.

"Correct. We'll be down there in a minute."

##############

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our deaths." Rei clutched her brother's rosary and looked up at the sky through the cockpit. "God, I know I haven't prayed in a long time. But please, watch over us. I don't really know what else to say." She took a deep, cleansing breath. "Forgive me of my past transgressions, Lord, and help me walk a better path. Help me walk the righteous path. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen," she finished, crossing herself.

"Wow, that only makes you look even more like Duo," Heero commented.

"Duo prayed a lot more than me, though." Rei took the controls of her Gundam and landed it expertly on the concrete pad. "I'll see you on the ground," she said with a flicker of a smile. She opened the cockpit and took a deep breath before nervously swinging to the ground to join Heero.

"Hi Duo!" a cute blond-haired man yelled. Two women at the bottom were waving as well. She waved and removed her helmet, letting her braid spill down her back. "Please God, let me look enough like Duo. I don't want to get shot."

"WUFEI, NO!" Heero yelled, just as she heard a gun cock. The man approaching her was one of the men in the photo Heero had given her. He was tall, Chinese, and had his long black hair pulled away from his face.

"That's not Duo," the man snapped at Heero. He carefully closed the gap between himself and Rei, keeping his gun trained on her. "Duo never waved when he landed; he always flipped us off."

"Wufei, let me explain before you start shooting," Heero ordered.

"She's just a girl, Wufei," Quatre protested.

"Well, at least you're _both_ observant," Rei commented dryly. Unable to help herself, she shot Wufei the bird. "I'm more than happy to tell you to fuck off. Is that better?"

BANG! Rei's left arm was suddenly on fire, and the impact threw her back, but she held her ground without flinching. She smiled through the pain when Heero put his own gun to Wufei's head. "You have no idea what you've just done," Heero said softly, obviously fighting the urge to pull the trigger. "Are you alright?" He asked Rei.

She nodded. "It's just a flesh wound. It'll heal." She let Quatre rip off the sleeve of her jacket and tie the ruined cloth around her wound.

"That should slow the bleeding. Where's Duo?" Quatre asked quietly. He already knew the answer; if someone else was flying Duo's Gundam, then Duo was dead.

"He's dead," Rei answered with little emotion. She refused to show pain in front of these pilots. Only Heero knew how deeply her brother's death had affected her, and she planned on keeping it that way.

One of the women, the dark-haired one, drew her gun. "Did you kill him?" she growled.

"God, and I thought _Heero_ was the paranoid one," Rei muttered.

"Noin, Wufei, Quatre, Sally. This is Duo's sister, Rei. We'll explain the rest later," Heero said.

"Yes," Rei added, "and please put the guns away. Getting shot once is enough for the day." She sighed with relief as everyone did as she asked… except Wufei.

"Duo didn't _have_ any family!" Wufei snarled at her, and fired once more. The bullet struck her in the right side of the chest, and sent her flying back into Quatre's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

Revised May 3-4, 2012

Chapter 7

3:19 AM, Saudi Arabia, Earth

Rei fell for what seemed like forever, until someone finally caught her. She opened her eyes, and reality came rushing back in like a tidal wave.

#############

Heero took her from Quatre, and checked for a pulse. "Rei… Rei! Can you hear me?" He shouted, and nearly fainted from relief when she opened her eyes. He saw a hint of recognition there, but she was only semi-conscious. There was yelling behind him; it sounded a lot like Sally and Noin restraining Wufei.

"Duo?" Rei asked softly. She sounded confused to Heero, but she was now wide awake and looking over his shoulder.

"Hurry up with that ambulance!" he shouted urgently at Quatre. "Get me something to stop the bleeding!" Heero stripped off his own shirt and applied pressure to the wound in her chest. "No, no, no," he kept repeating, as if he was willing her not to bleed anymore. She was hemorrhaging, and he could hear a distinct gurgle every time she drew a breath. "Rei_, stay with me_," he ordered. He held her hand to his cheek and kissed her forehead. "Quatre's calling an ambulance; you're going to be just fine. Just hang on for a few more minutes, sweetheart." He checked her pupils again while he felt for her pulse, and this time he saw a shadow reflected in her eyes, standing behind him.

Rei reached out weakly. "Shinigami?" She gasped. She suddenly didn't feel any more pain; there was only Duo standing there, watching her sadly.

"Ready, baby sister?" He asked gently.

She bit down on her lip when she found herself nodding. She didn't want to go, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't breathe anymore. "Ready, Duo," she gasped. Her eyes clouded with tears and she looked at Heero. "I love you," she mouthed, unable to draw another breath to speak. "I'm sorry." She wished she could tell him more, but her vision was fading, and she felt herself drifting off.

"DAMN YOU MAXWELL! Don't take her with you!" Heero yelled, shaking Rei fiercely. "Wake up, Rei! _Wake up!_ I love you, Rei, don't leave. Don't leave me, sweetheart, don't leave!" The paramedics snatched her from his arms right then and immediately slapped her on life support while they hooked her up to IVs and vitals machines.

###########

Rei awoke in Duo's arms, and cried out as she hugged him. "I missed you so much," she barely managed through her tears.

He caught her up and hugged her tightly, pulling her to her feet. "It's good to hold you again, baby sister, but look behind you for a moment."

Rei turned her head, and saw what was going on behind her. Heero was practically screaming at her body, and surprisingly enough, had just declared his love for her. "Oh my God." It was like someone had just thrown cold water in her face. Heero loved her? Shit, she'd just thought it had been a physical attraction for him, nothing more, and she'd been willing to accept that.

"You have a choice," he told her gently, turning her head back his way. "You can go back. They've got you on life support, and I know you'll live. But if you choose, you can stay with me."

Rei opened and closed her mouth twice before answering. If Duo asked her to, she'd stay. She could never deny him anything; had never been able to when they were younger. She studied him carefully. He looked exactly the same as the last time she'd seen him, but there was sadness in his eyes, despite his usual plastered-on grin. "Do you want me to stay?" She finally managed to ask.

"No," he answered, with a shake of his head. "I'll miss you, but we'll be together again someday. Heero needs you, now. The world and the colonies need you."

"I'll go back, then," Rei sighed with combined regret and relief.

"One thing. You interpreted the dreams correctly, baby sister. The stars are the pilots. Together, they're stronger and more stable. Apart, you won't be able to win the war. Make one out of many, you understand?"

"And the halo? The blood in the stars?" She asked urgently.

"War is coming. The blood was you getting shot, it was meant as a warning. Sometimes God makes the dreams clear, but they get distorted in the transmission. You're doing a good job in listening to them; so is Heero."

"Why do I have the dreams, Duo?" She clung to him tightly as she felt herself being sucked backwards.

"You'll learn in time, baby sister," he replied with his trademark shit-eating grin. "I love you." He kissed her forehead. "Go now, and Godspeed." She let go of Duo, and the suction drew her back, sending her flying through darkness.

March 30

7:28 PM, Saudi Arabia, Earth

She felt pain, which brought on the not-so-wonderful sensation of being alive. Opening her eyes to darkness, she took in what she could make out. She was in a large bed, and Heero was kneeling next to it, resting on the edge. At first she thought he was praying, but he was fast asleep, using his arms as a makeshift pillow. Poor guy, he must have been exhausted. She tried to speak, but there was a tube down her throat, breathing for her.

It hurt like hell to move her arm, but she just barely managed to cover his hand with hers. Heero lifted his head and blinked at her sleepily, and she smiled the best she could with the tube in her mouth. He was on his feet immediately, leaning over her with deep concern in her eyes. "I'll call Quatre, and we'll get that tube out of your throat," he promised. He was gone for only a moment, and had the Sandrock pilot and a doctor following hot on his heels.

The doctor immediately began working on disconnecting the tube from the machine. "Do you have pain? Blink once for yes, twice for no."

Rei blinked once. He asked her to rate her level of pain, and she held up one hand, flashed five fingers, closed it, and flashed two more.

"I'll get you something for pain in just a moment, I promise. Open up, this is going to be uncomfortable."

Rei gagged when he removed the tube, but there was nothing in her stomach for her to throw up. She tried to swear, but her words came out as an unintelligible croak. She nodded when the doctor advised her not to talk for a little while.

"Here, sweetheart, drink." Heero held a cup with a straw up to her lips, but pulled it away when she tried to drink the whole thing. "Not too much," he warned. "We don't know what your stomach can handle, yet."

"You're a very lucky young lady," the doctor said with a smile, and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "You sustained a punctured lung, which filled with blood, lost four pints of blood before we could sew you up, broken ribs, torn muscle tissue, etcetera. You were dead for four minutes, and you've been out for a week. Can you move your legs and toes?"

Rei wiggled them in response. She blinked twice when he asked if she felt any numbness in her extremities. He then pushed some painkillers into her IV, and she felt blissfully happy after a few minutes. She also felt very, very tired.

"It's ok, Rei," Heero told her gently. "Rest." He stroked her hair and kissed her tenderly. "I'll be here when you wake up again."

When she awakened again, it was light outside, and Heero was busily working on a netbook, sitting right next to her. She laid her hand on his leg and tried her best to smile through the pain in her arm and chest.

Heero jumped a little and turned. "How are you feeling? Do you want some pain meds?"

She shook her head a little. "I'm hungry," she croaked feebly.

"Clear liquids only," he said apologetically. "Is that ok with you?"

Rei gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. She could have eaten an entire cow right then. Raw. And alive. When he returned with a tray, he carefully propped her up in a sitting position, cringing every time she grunted in pain.

"Sorry," he said, giving her a kiss.

"S'ok," she whispered, and opened her mouth for the first bite he offered. She ate everything on the tray, but she knew she'd be hungry again soon. At least her throat felt a little bit better. "Ibuprofen?" She asked hopefully.

"I don't know if you're allowed any blood-thinners, but I can definitely get you an opioid." He went to inject the medication into her IV, but stopped when she shook her head.

"Only half," she whispered. She could tell he wasn't happy about the decision, but he nodded and only gave her half the dose. "Thank you."

"Anything you need?"

"Bathroom would be nice?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded. "I'll carry you. Hang on and let these pain killers get into you before I unhook the IV, ok?" They waited five minutes, and then he unhooked her, scooped her up as carefully as possible, and set her on the toilet. Heero turned his back respectfully while she did her business. "I'll get you a bedside commode," he promised. "That way you'll have to be moved as little as possible."

Once she was back in bed, she gave him a grateful smile. "Don't know what I'd do without you."

"Pee on yourself, probably."

Rei found herself laughing uncontrollably, and then coughing when her healing lung protested the action.

"Are you alright?" He asked with alarm. Quatre came marching into the room, more assertive than Heero had ever seen him.

"What happened?" The Sandrock pilot asked, as he forced Rei to lie on her side.

"She laughed," Heero answered lamely, to which the other man just shook his head. "Sorry."

"Rei, are you ok?" Quatre asked, once she had her breath.

"Spectacular," she gasped. "You?"

"Well, you must be alright if you're handing me a smartass line. You're Duo's sister, no doubt about it."

Rei snapped to attention at the sound of her brother's name. "Heero," she whispered urgently. She grabbed him by his sleeve when he didn't hear her. "Duo said that we need everyone."

"What?"

"The stars." When he gave her an exasperated look, she punched him weakly in the arm. "Listen to me, Yuy. The stars are the pilots. Separately…" she panted for air for a moment, "…we can be defeated." She inhaled as deeply as her body would allow. "But together, we're strong. All six, Heero."

He nodded. He'd do anything for her if it would give her some peace; make her rest. "Trowa showed up this morning, but I'll call Zechs," he promised.

"The rest, please," she asked, pointing to the painkillers. She dozed off again after a few minutes, swimming in an ocean of drugs.

When she woke again, Heero was missing, and another young man was sitting by her side. She watched him for a few minutes, since his attention was on his computer; he was tall, even when sitting, and his brown hair was long and messy and fell in front of his face in places. "You must be Trowa," she finally said. She was surprised to hear that her voice was a little bit stronger; at least she could finally talk above a whisper.

The pilot of Heavyarms blinked and turned to study her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Rei snorted.

She could have sworn his lips twitched just a little bit in a smile. "Death hurts like hell, huh?"

Rei tried her best not to crack up, but found herself laughing and coughing, and trying not to cry when her healing ribs screamed in protest. "How long have I been asleep this time?" She asked, once she had herself under control.

"Heero said you woke up about two days ago. You're making a fast recovery; you've amazed Quatre's doctors with how fast you're healing." He answered the obvious question next. "We made him go get some sleep, he'd been up with you almost non-stop since you got shot, according to Quatre."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Let him sleep, I think I'll be up for a good bit this time. I'm hurting, but I feel better than the last time I woke." Slowly and carefully, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She asked Trowa to unhook her, and once she was free of the IV, she stood unsteadily. "I think I've got it," she told him, when he moved to support her.

"Careful," Trowa warned her; staying by her side should she fall. He turned his back like a gentleman once she'd shakily made her way to the toilet, and went to fetch her a toothbrush when she requested one.

"Thanks," Rei said with a smile, and proceeded to scrub what felt like fur off of her teeth. Feeling much better, she let Trowa lead her back to the bed and tuck her in. "When do you get here?"

"Yesterday morning." Trowa's curiosity suddenly got the better of him. "Heero says that you see things in your dreams, and that you speak to Duo."

Rei nodded wearily. She remembered Duo, his laugh, his smile, his face. She also remembered the mission he'd given her. "When will Zechs be here?"

"Soon," he answered, having enough grace not to mention the sudden change of subject.

Rei waited patiently for Heero to wake up, flipping idly through the TV channels. Trowa wasn't much of a conversationalist, which was ok with her; it kept her from having to avoid any more uncomfortable questions about her gift of prophecy. She gave her man a sunny smile when he eventually stumbled in the room, clearly still half-asleep.

Heero was instantly wide awake when he saw Rei sitting up in bed and smiling at him. "I'm so sorry," he said quickly, practically bowling Trowa over in his haste. "I should've been in here when you woke up."

Rei snorted. "From what Trowa said, you were about dead on your feet. Have you eaten?" She looked him up and down; he'd definitely lost a couple pounds.

"When one of us reminds him to," Trowa muttered. "You need to eat too," he directed at Rei. "I'll go see what you're allowed to have." He returned promptly with a tray of soup and sandwiches, and set it on the nightstand. "Quatre says you're allowed to have more than clear liquids, but if your stomach tells you no, you need to stop."

"Thank you, Trowa," Rei said brightly, ecstatic to have real food. "Sit down and eat with us," she insisted.

Heero and Rei ate with that single-minded purpose of people who feel like they're starving; the only noises that came out of them were grunts of approval and sighs of contentment at the feeling of that glorious food filling their bellies. Trowa merely watched as he ate his sandwich and tried not to look too amused. They were just finishing when the door opened, and Wufei walked in.

"I see the onna's awake," he huffed. He gave Rei a dirty look, and Heero stood from the bed. Trowa grabbed him when he began to move forward, intent on beating the shit out of the Altron pilot.

Rei laid a hand gently on Heero's shoulder as she stood. "It's ok," she hushed him. She glared at Wufei. "Duo said you were an asshole, but I didn't know how true it was until I met you."

"For what it's worth, I saw the newscast. You're Duo's sister." That was as close as Wufei was ever coming to an apology, and they all knew it.

Rei bit down on her anger at him, and decided to extend the olive branch. Duo had said that they needed all the pilots, not just five of them. "Are you hungry?" She asked, indicating the food still left on the tray. "There's plenty to go around."

Wufei gaped at her for a moment before closing his mouth. Out of all the possible reactions he had thought to receive from Rei Maxwell, a gesture of peace was certainly not on that list. Unable to think of an alternate response, he took a seat in one of the chairs at her bedside and let her serve him a cup of coffee and a sandwich. He couldn't ignore the way Heero was standing protectively over his woman, and the way the Zero pilot kept trying to help her whenever her hands shook with the strain of lifting something as light as the small coffeepot. Rei would graciously brush him off, insist she was fine, and continue the slow motions of making him a plate. "I made a mistake," he finally said, once his plate was full and carefully set in front of him. "I apologize."

Rei couldn't keep the little smirk off her face. Sister Helen had always said to kill them with kindness. "Accepted." She continued to emulate the good Sister by slowly sipping on a bowl of soup, so that she wouldn't rudely be sitting there doing nothing while Wufei ate alone.

"So, you and Duo are siblings," Wufei said, trying to initiate polite conversation.

Rei nodded. "Not blood siblings, but he's been my brother since I was a few days old. Sister Helen and Father Maxwell placed all the other children in homes, but Duo and I proved too troublesome for prospective parents. So, they kept us as their own." She let Heero pour her a cup of coffee; her arm was too weak to lift the pot again. "Thank you," she told him with a kiss.

"Duo coffee, or normal coffee?" He asked teasingly.

"Normal, please," Rei answered, comically gagging. "Anyway," she said, continuing her story, "after the massacre, Duo and I kind of floated around from place to place. Duo always took care of me; he made sure I had food and shelter and he tutored me whenever there wasn't a school for me to attend. He was my brother, but he was a lot like my mother and father, too," she said sadly. "We met the Prof when I was six, and then the Doc soon after Duo left for Operation Meteor. They trained me to fly, and when I showed a lot of talent, they used me as a guinea pig for all sorts of new programs and upgrades. That's how Duo got all his fun little gadgets for the Hell, and they refined the Zero program based on my data."

Heero listened attentively; he was hearing a lot of this for the first time. He had a ton of questions, but didn't want to interrupt her.

Rei looked down at the little cross around her neck. "He tried to kill himself when he was seventeen, but stopped when I caught him. I told him I would follow him if he pulled the trigger. That was when he swore he'd never leave me, even in death. He hasn't," she finished softly.

"I saw him too," Heero blurted. "In your eyes, when I was checking your pupils. There was a shadow standing behind me."

"You really don't believe that, do you Yuy?" Wufei asked incredulously.

"It's true," Rei swore. "He's been trying to help me through my dreams, and he was there when I died. He wanted me to come back, even though I wasn't sure what to do."

"And what does Duo want?" Wufei asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"He said that you all are the world's discarded heroes. I think he wants to fix that. He wants us to unite the pilots, and fight this new threat. Someone is after all of us, and Duo was only the first casualty. We stand a better chance of survival if we work together." She took a deep breath, and flinched from a wave of pain. Before she could recover from it, she felt a needle sticking her in the arm. "No, Heero, Jesus!" She protested, but he pushed the plunger in before she could pull away.

"It wasn't a full dose, I promise," he assured her. He simply couldn't stand to see her in pain, and her chest was visibly hurting her every time she breathed. "It'll just take the edge off."

Quatre hadn't wanted to interrupt her story, so he'd been waiting quietly just outside the door. Now that she'd been medicated, he decided to make his entrance. "Hate to break up the party," he said with a smile, "but it's time to dress that wound."

Rei nodded wearily, she could already feel the pain killers kicking in. She didn't complain when Heero eased her back into the bed and helped her with the nightgown he'd dressed her in the night before.

"It's looking good," Quatre said with approval, once the gown was off and the bandages unwrapped. "You're going to have a nasty scar, but it's healing much faster than anyone anticipated. Why is that, by the way? You're healing at nearly twice the speed of a grown adult."

She gave a little shrug, making sure to keep the movement small while he was poking around her stitches. "I've always been a fast healer. Bad injuries heal in a couple weeks, but I sleep almost the whole time I'm healing. The Prof and the Doc could never explain it, just told me I was extremely lucky. They said it was one of the reasons I could handle the physical strain of flying a Gundam."

"There, all done." Quatre tied off the new bandages. "Those stitches can come out in a few days, and you should go ahead and start walking around as soon as you feel able. Nothing too strenuous, though, ok?" He looked at Heero pointedly, and Rei blushed.

Heero gave him a rare, genuine smile, and nodded. He sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her once Quatre had left. "Guess that means we can't spar anytime soon."

"Oh, is that what we're calling it, now?" Rei asked with a chuckle. "If that's the case, I'd love to spar as soon as possible… but I think you'd be outclassed in the ring."

"Wait, are we talking about sparring or…" He gave her a lazy kiss when she blushed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Trust me; you're the one that's not going to know what hit her." Pleased with the nice, deep red color that was starting to creep up her ears, he was tempted to give her a taste of the sparring ring, but decided against it. "Get some sleep," he advised.

"Wait, Heero. You really saw him?" She gripped his hand tightly so he couldn't run off right away.

"Yeah, I did. You were talking to him." He sighed, and finally said what he'd wanted to say since she first woke up. "I'm sorry, Rei. If you'd wanted to stay with him, it was selfish of me to try and keep you here." _Don't leave me, Rei! I love you!_

She remembered seeing him with her body cradled in his arms, the look of pain on his face as the life faded from her. She remembered Duo, how good it felt for her brother to hold her once more, and how much it hurt to leave him again. And Heero was the reason she'd left him. "Yes, it was you," she allowed. "But I meant it when I told you how I felt, Heero. Don't you dare blame yourself another moment. This pain will heal," she added, touching her chest. "But the pain of losing you would have hurt forever, even in Heaven."

She felt his lips on hers before she could say another word, his tongue dancing with hers, silencing anything else she had to say. Rei relaxed against him and let him kiss her until he was sated. She needed it, too; kissing him made her feel whole for the first time since they'd arrived on Earth.

#############

Rei sighed with pleasure at the feeling of the hot water pounding down on her head. It hurt whenever it came in contact with her wound, but it didn't hurt so badly that she couldn't enjoy a real shower. Heero and Quatre had been respectful and considerate when helping her with bed-baths, but it was still embarrassing to feel like an invalid. She didn't even want to _think_ about the two of them having to clean up after her while she unconscious; the mere thought of it made her cheeks burn. "Well, at least they're the only two that've seen my goodies. Let's keep it that way," she muttered.

Feeling clean and wonderful, she stepped out into Heero's waiting arms. She squealed and shoved at him, then slipped on the wet tile. She stopped fighting when he caught her, knowing that he was all that was keeping her from falling to the floor. All six-foot-one of him, topless and slick with the water from her hair.

Heero had only meant to make her jump, slam the curtain shut, and scold him like a child, but this was a _much_ better outcome. "Well, hello."

"Heero Yuy. If you don't put me down this instant, I will make your life a living hell," she growled. She shivered when one of those wonderfully calloused hands of his trailed from her neck down to the base of her spine. It suddenly made her very aware of her nudity; the way his chest pressed against hers, the way her legs were semi-wrapped around him. "Please," she added weakly, and tried not to shift her weight too much. With the way her thigh was resting against the inside of his, it was more than obvious that he was also _very_ aware of her slippery bare body.

"Oh, if only you weren't still wounded," he said regretfully, carefully unwrapping her from around his waist and setting her on her feet.

Rei snorted. "And if I wasn't?" She asked with a tiny smile. She grabbed a towel off the rack and started the drying process with her hair, knowing that he was eating up every movement with his eyes.

"You'd be over my shoulder right now, and I'd be about to dump you on the bed," he stated bluntly.

Rei snorted. "Uh huh," she replied playfully, "you'd still be right here trying to figure out what the fuck to do about it." She wasn't ready for it when he pressed her against the wall. She wasn't ready for it when he kissed her with primal savagery. She wasn't ready when his hands lit her on fire, made her wish to God that she could think of something more to do with her own hands than cling to him tightly and hold on for dear life. "Heero," she gasped, when he suddenly pulled away.

"_Who_ doesn't know what the fuck they're doing?" He asked with a grin. God, he wanted to finish what he'd just started, but teasing her was almost just as good. "Need some help drying off?" He offered. "I think there's still an area that's not completely dry." Heero was very pleased with the shocked expression on her face, and the whack she gave him with her towel.

"Pervert!" She shouted laughingly. "Get out of my bathroom! I just got clean, and you're already trying to get me dirty!" She stuck her tongue out at him and shut the door in his face when he stepped back.

"Don't stick it out unless you plan to use it," he commented dryly from the other side of the door, knowing how flustered he was making her.

"I prefer to use my teeth," she shot back, and pulled one some pants. She was more careful with shrugging on her shirt; it was one of Duo's, and buttoned up the front so she wouldn't have to work as hard to put it on. Sally and Noin had promised to take her out to get some more feminine clothing once she was well enough for a trip, and Rei couldn't have been more excited. There were a few things she was planning on buying to entice Heero with.

"Promises, promises." He was enjoying this banter an awful lot more than he thought he would.

"Kinky, aren't we? I wasn't planning on using them on your neck, though." She swung open the door and looked pointedly at his crotch, which was just getting back to normal. "You better be careful what you wish for… shit, I don't even think there's enough for a mouthful anyway."

A single eyebrow shot in the air. "Bitch, don't make me prove you wrong."

"Bitch?"

"Yeah, that's right. Bitch." He slapped her ass playfully and grinned. "Don't make me put something in your mouth to shut you up. Now go make me a damned sandwich, onna."

Rei was laughing so hard she started snorting. "Ok, then, Wufei."

At that, Heero was cracking up just as hard as she was.


	8. Chapter 8

Revised! May 5 2012

I know yall, kinda short, but longer than the original! ENJOY!

Chapter 8

April 4

Saudi Arabia, Earth

6:04 AM

Trowa approached Rei carefully when he caught sight of her walking down a corridor adjacent to the one he was taking. It was way too early for her to be out of bed for rehab, and she wasn't supposed to be walking very far unless she had assistance. "Stubborn girl," he said with a sigh, and followed her carefully. He was sure this was one of those sleepwalking episodes he'd heard so much about; there was no way Rei would have put the progress she'd made in jeopardy just to take an early morning stroll. And definitely not in her underwear and a t-shirt. "Rei?"

When she turned and stared at him blankly, he wasn't too sure what to do. Hadn't he read somewhere that you weren't supposed to wake people up when they were sleepwalking? Something about violent results, he couldn't remember exactly why. She looked lost and confused, and acted as if she didn't recognize him. "Are you looking for something?"

"I can't find the door," she said absently, fluffing her hair with one hand. She looked left and right, and shook her head.

"Why do you need to find the door?" He pressed.

"Fire is coming," she hissed. "I have to tell him. Fire, then ice."

_Well, this is getting interesting. _"I'll help you find the door," he offered, and was stunned when she hugged him.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "He needs to know that the fire won't hurt him, but the ice definitely will."

Trowa carefully led her down the hallway, and she followed him like a complacent puppy dog, not even looking from side to side anymore, just keeping her eyes trained on him and trustfully going anywhere he led her. He shook his head in wonderment and knocked on Heero's door. When the pilot of Zero opened the door and glared at him sleepily, he gestured to Rei. "She can't find the door," he said cryptically. Trowa looked at Rei. "Is this the door?"

Rei shook her head in confusion. "No, it's not. But it's him." She looked at Heero. "Did you move the door?" She fluffed her hair and looked around.

Heero sighed in exasperation. "Come on, sweetheart. This _is_ the door," he offered, "but the door changed." _God, I hope that makes sense to her somehow._

"Oh!" Rei said brightly, and studied his door so she wouldn't lose it again.

"What door?" Trowa asked him quietly.

"Duo's door," he answered. "She was looking for Duo's room. She always does when she's sleepwalking." Heero led her inside, rudely closing the door in Trowa's face. He wasn't about to answer any more questions, not this early in the morning, and not while he was only in his boxers. "Get in bed," he ordered grumpily.

Rei shook her head and fluffed her hair again. "The fire is coming," she said, her voice suddenly dark.

"Huh?" She suddenly had his full attention; he was not about to ignore what was likely her gift coming out.

"Fire… then ice," she continued.

Heero felt a chill up his spine when she met his eyes. They were blue, not black.

"Embrace the flame, Heero. Fight the cold." Her eyes closed.

After several moments, when she didn't add anything, he approached her slowly. "Rei?" He tapped her shoulder, and she fell into his arms. He grunted from the sudden deadweight, but he managed to get her into the bed and under the covers. She had fallen asleep standing up.

Rei woke an hour later, shocked to be in a bed other than her own. She rolled over, and sputtered when she realized just _whose_ bed she was in. "I was sleepwalking again." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Heero groaned, "now shut up and go the fuck back to sleep."

"You're such a happy man in the morning," she mused, and snuggled up to him. "Hey," she said, suddenly serious, "if I've never left my room, how did I find yours?"

This put the tiniest of smiles on Heero's face; all he was capable of when he was that tired. "Trowa found you wandering the halls naked."

"_What!"_ Rei pulled the covers over her face so he couldn't see her humiliation.

"Nah, you were in your underwear. Doesn't sound so bad now, does it?"

Rei's head popped back up, and she whacked him with her pillow. "You douchebag!" She yelled. "Oh my God, I can't believe you fucking had me!"

"You know, gullible isn't in the dictionary," he teased.

"Shut up," she fumed, and then suddenly reddened. "Oh Lord, I was in my underwear? Really?" She facepalmed when he nodded. "Well, I hope he got a good look, because he's not seeing that again."

"You should wear nightgowns from now on, since you're living in a house full of men," he recommended. "There's only _one_ man here that gets to see you mostly naked," he added wryly.

"Yeah, only mostly naked," she agreed. "There's this other guy that sees me in the nude all the time, so I'd best not make him jealous," she replied seriously. "He's really tough; he'd beat the shit out of you."

Heero rolled on top of her and pinned her arms back when she tried to shove him off. "That's ok, he won't be the first man I've had to kill."

"Pity, he was so good in bed, too. I think I'll miss—" She didn't protest when his mouth came crashing down on hers, cutting her off. He kissed her hungrily, heatedly, and when he finally pulled away, he was satisfied by the blank, glazed look in her eyes. "Wow."

"What were you saying again?" He shifted so that his weight wasn't pressing on her ribs, and nibbled her neck.

"I have no clue," she answered breathlessly, "but if it'll make you do that again, I'll say anything you want me to."

His voice was rough when he nipped her neck. "Say you're mine."

"Yours. I'm all yours." This time she braced herself for his kiss, but was still unprepared for the resulting fire that roared inside of her. "I think I'm ready for that sparring session," she gasped.

"When you're healed, I promise," he swore, but he felt his self-control slipping when she trailed her fingers down his back. "When you're healed," he repeated, when her hands returned to the nape of his neck to tangle in his hair.

"Now," she insisted. "Make love to me, Heero," she whispered, blushing at the sound of her own words.

His resolve broke when she started to slip his boxers off, and his mouth came crashing down on hers again.

##############

Saudi Arabia, Earth

12 PM

"So. The perfect soldier has regained the lower half of his humanity, I see." Zechs grinned when Heero look astonished to see him. The girl beside him fluttered her eyes open and the moment she saw him, she was sitting up straight with a gun pointed at his head. "Nice reflexes. You must be the girl that Noin told me about." He knew she was young, but her reaction time spoke volumes.

Heero gently made her lower the gun. "Rei, this is Zechs Merquise, pilot of Epyon."

Rei studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Sorry, I should have recognized you from the picture." She looked down, realized she was naked, and gave a little yip of surprise as she scrambled to grab some of the sheet and cover herself.

"I think I'll excuse myself, you two carry on with whatever you were doing," he said with a knowing smile, and quietly shut the door.

April 6

Saudi Arabia, Earth

2:43 PM

"HEEEEEEEROOOOO!" Rei's had snapped around as they walked to the control tower, trying to pinpoint where the scream had come from. A pretty blonde came thundering up the stairs, threw herself into her lover's arms, and kissed him passionately. Who the fuck was this bitch? Rei sized her up expertly. About Heero's age, right around thirty. Skinny, and cute, and she looked like a total sissy. _I could take her._

She stalked right over and shoved the clingy bitch's ass to the floor, ignoring the protest in her ribs from the movement. "Bitch, if you touch him again, I'll fucking kill you," she promised. Rei instantly recognized her when she looked up at her. _This pussy is Queen Relena?_

Heero's face was making all sorts of little amusing movements as he tried his best not to laugh. "Relena, may I introduce Hino Rei. She's Duo's sister and the pilot of Deathscythe Hell."

"Gundam pilot?" The princess gasped.

"Yes, Gundam pilot," Rei snarled right back. She picked her up by the front of her dress. "If you touch Heero again, I will shove my size nine in your ass. Understood?" She dropped her and stomped off to the control tower without waiting for an answer.

############

Trowa simply watched Duo's sister barge into the tower, spitting fire and nails, her face contorted in fury. He studied her carefully now that she wasn't sleepwalking. She was gorgeous; he could definitely see why Heero was smitten with her. Waist-length black hair, dark expressive eyes, and a figure that could knock a man out at one glance. He couldn't help but be momentarily envious of Heero

I watched Duo's sister barge into the control tower, a very pissed look on her face. Now that she wasn't on the edge of death, I studied her carefully. Very attractive, I could understand why Heero was sleeping with her. Waist-length black hair, dark expressive eyes, nice figure. She looked at me.

"And what the hell are _you_ staring at, Trowa?" she demanded.

"And what the hell are _you_ yelling for, Rei?" he asked calmly.

"Because some _bitch _is all over Heero, and right now I feel that homicide might solve everything," she replied, gritting her teeth.

Trowa was grinning on the inside, even though she couldn't see it. "You look so much like Duo when you're mad."

"Yeah, yeah... you should see me in his clothes with my hair in a braid..." She plopped down in a seat and changed the subject to something that had been on her mind. "Was my brother a good pilot? I mean, I trained with him, but I'd never actually seen him in a battle."

Trowa just stared at her. "Are you serious?"

Rei shrugged, not without a little embarrassment. "Stupid question?"

He took a second to stop gawking at her before answering. "Your brother was the only pilot to beat Heero in a fair fight. That should tell you everything." He dug around under the console for a moment, and handed her some discs. "There, watch those, they're recordings of your brother in battle."

Rei did as she was told and popped the first disc into the console she was sitting at. She felt a strange feeling run through her as she watched her brother's face on the monitor. He was so intense, so focused on dealing out death that nothing could possibly stop him. This was her brother; her loving, kind, funny brother… and it was a side of him that she had never quite seen before. At least, not to this degree. "Duo," she said softly, her fingers brushing against the image of his face. "God, I miss you so much."

"You'll see him again one day," Trowa assured her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. He closed his eyes, thinking of his sister. He would be inconsolable if something ever happened to Cat. And he would be on the warpath, determined to make anyone suffer that had a hand in her death. "For what it's worth, I'll help you avenge him."

Rei covered the hand on her shoulder with her own, and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you, Trowa. I won't forget your kindness." She turned off the video, and carefully put the disc away. "May I keep these to watch later?"

"Sure," he said with a shrug. "By the way, I've been curious. What did you mean the other night by, 'fire is coming, then ice?'"

Rei snorted. "Fuck if I know. Heero already asked me the same question, and I had the exact same answer for him." She colored just slightly at the thought of her sleepwalking excursion. "Sorry you saw me in my underwear," she mumbled.

"Heh, don't be sorry. If you were ugly, you should be sorry, but I found it rather entertaining. The door's lost," he said with a snicker.

Rei stuck out her tongue and threw a wireless mouse at him. "Don't pick on me! I can't help what I do and say when I'm like that! Just be glad I didn't crawl into bed with you on accident and snuggle up."

"Be glad you didn't? I would welcome a beautiful woman in my bed," he replied with a lecherous wink.

"Yeah, you should be glad, because Heero would have kicked your ass," she finished lamely; flattered that he thought she was beautiful.

"Finished flirting?" Wufei asked snidely from the doorway. "I thought you were Heero's woman," he said flatly, giving Rei a look that could kill.

"Oh, shut up, Wufei," Rei snapped. She gave him the finger. "Hi, by the way. Happy that I didn't wave this time?"

"Still holding that against me, I see." Wufei rolled his eyes.

Rei couldn't help but admit to herself that she was still angry with him for shooting her; after all, they should have been well on their way to completing their mission, but they were all still waiting on her to make a full recovery first. She had just reached the stage in her healing where she could probably pilot without any ill effects, but she still had trouble working her right side when she was in cockpit. Heero had taken her out yesterday and let her play around with Deathscythe Hell for a while, but they both knew it would be at least a few more days before she could fly effortlessly. "If it weren't for you, Wufei, this mission might already be completed."

"Well, you shouldn't lie, let that be a lesson," he replied snidely. "If you'd announced yourself in space, you likely wouldn't have gotten shot."

While she had to admit he was probably right, she shook her head stubbornly. "And you shouldn't shoot first and ask questions after," she shot back. "Do you really think one girl would have been a threat to all of you, _and _Heero? Shit, Wufei, you could see I didn't have a gun in my hand. You reacted like a typical narcissistic vigilante, hell bent on taking out anyone that didn't fit your definition of a Gundam pilot."

"You _aren't _a Gundam pilot," Wufei retorted. "You're a little girl dressed in her brother's clothes, flying his mobile suit. You're a pretender and a fraud, and a weak little woman!"

Rei jumped out of her seat, but Trowa restrained her before she swung her fist. "I can outfly, outfight, and do it harder and better than you _anyday_, Chang!" She growled at him, struggling against Trowa, who was so close to laughing at the situation that his lips were twitching. Good God, she looked _exactly _like Duo when she was ready to rip someone's head off.

"Bring it, Maxwell!" Wufei growled right back, ignoring the wave of déjà vu at his statement. How many times in the past had he yelled those exact words at her brother?

"Let's do it then," Trowa suggested calmly.

"Stay out of this, Barton!" Wufei and Rei both yelled at him, then stared at each other for a moment before rolling their eyesand looking away.

"No, seriously. First to yield loses. I'll even ref if you want," he offered.

"I'm not fighting her," Wufei said with finality. He turned his back and started to walk away; this conversation was over.

"What, Chang?" Rei said with faux sweetness. "Is the little girl too _scary_ for you to fight? Afraid you'll lose your Man Card when I kick your ass? Fucking pussy," she taunted.

Wufei whipped around and pointed to the door that led outside. "You're fucking _on_, bitch. Suit up." He stormed out the door and headed straight for the Altron, swearing and cursing her name with every step.

"You heard the man," Trowa said with amusement as he released her. "Good luck, and remember that he likes to combo his flamethrowers with the trident."

#########

The next chapter is still my favorite, so review if you get time, please! **Senseless, endless violence**! WOOOOOOO!


	9. Chapter 9

WOOOOO! MORE SENSELESS VIOLENCE! I love the chapters that don't require much thought for me to write, like the ones with love scenes… It takes me an hour to write a paragraph of a love scene, and about half the time to bust out a whole chapter of fighting and shit-kicking. Write what you know, right?

And Teeny: sign your reviews so I can message you or something, sugar! Thanks for being such a good reviewer, too, I appreciate your input!

And Jessica, I ain't heard from you, but don't worry: more of that mushy, icky stuff coming in chapter 9. Ew.

Chapter 9

April 6

Saudi Arabia, Earth

3:35 PM

Heero heard the clash of battle outside, and sprinted down the hall, out the door, and straight for the Wing Zero. _Who in the name of God is attacking the Desert Base? _He wondered. He grabbed the ripcord, which hauled him up into the cockpit, where he jumped in the pilot's chair and tapped a few commands to pull up his radar screen.

Two mobile suits… he pressed the button to pull in for a close-up, and his eyes widened. He swore eloquently as he fired up his engines and strapped himself in as quickly as he could. That stupid bitch was going to get herself killed! "Holy shit, she couldn't have waited to heal up all the way!" Finally ready, he flew to Rei's aid as fast as he could, beam saber drawn as he charged between a scythe and the Altron's beam trident.

Rei popped up on his screen, hair braided, wearing a black leather jacket. The woman was her brother's twin just then. She was clearly favoring her right side, and beads of sweat tattooed her forehead. "This is my fight, Heero, stay the fuck out of it," she snarled.

Heero reluctantly complied, and hovered a little ways off to observe. If things got out of hand, he would be right there to intervene and keep one of them from doing something rash. "Please don't need backup," he said quietly, keeping his beam saber at the ready. He watched silently as Rei kept hammering away at the Altron with only two of her available weapons; her beam scythes. He huffed in frustration at the fact that she was completely ignoring her guns. Wufei was a skilled swordsman; he would beat her down in hand-to-hand the moment she made the slightest mistake. However, she was holding her own so far, which spoke volumes about her proficiency with the Hell. "Impressive," Heero said almost inaudibly, surprised to find himself evaluating his lover as a pilot and warrior. "If she wasn't wounded, she'd give the Wu-man a serious run for his money."

Heero was jerked out of his reverie by Quatre's voice. "What in the hell are they doing, Heero! Same team, damn it! _Stop them before Rei gets hurt!_"

"Just wait," Heero said calmly. "Rei told me not to interfere, and since she seems to be holding her own, I'll respect her wishes. If he gets too hairy, I'll stop the fight," he assured Quatre. He couldn't help but agree as the duel progressed, though.

It was getting intense; Wufei had quickly figured out her moves, and was taking advantage of the fact that she was ignoring her guns. If he continued his steady assault with his beam trident, it was going to wear her down. Rei was dodging it more times than not, but the hits that were connecting were doing significant damage to the Hell.

Rei swore and screamed at no one at particular when she realized that she was losing, and foolishly swung her scythe in an attempt to sever his beam trident.

He blocked it smartly and hit his flamethrowers, leading her to the right when she dodged them. She flew up as expected when he charged her, but he didn't expect her to slice down while she was flying. He grunted at the impact of a scythe connecting with the Altron's left shoulder. He was grateful it had been his left; if she'd hit his right, this fight would be all but over. "You're not going to win, Maxwell! You don't have a prayer!"

"Shut the _fuck_ up, Chang!" She flipped him off and swung both scythes for his trident to parry his attack, then batted a dragon claw away, only for the second claw to latch on to her tightly. It held her for the first claw, and she felt heat breach her armor when he blasted her with his flamethrowers. Her mind immediately went to prayer, something she had done in battle as a child, and she found herself reciting the rosary as she her consciousness faded.

Heero had finally had enough, and popped up on her screen again. "Damn your pride, Rei! Just yield! If you don't, I'm ending this right now!"

Rei's face came up on Heero's screen, ice-cold and calm as the eye of a hurricane. "I've got it, Yuy," she replied. "Shinigami had returned."

Heero couldn't register her words; he was too busy staring at the same cobalt blue eyes that he'd seen the other night. And when she gave him grin—that grin that seemed idiotic at first, but at second glance spoke of something feral and wild—he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was looking at Duo, inexplicable as it was.

Reality came flashing back for Heero as he watched Deathscythe Hell switch to alternating its guns with steady, heavy swings of its beam scythes. Duo took advantage of Wufei's first opening and ripped the Altron open like a tin can, littering the ground in metal scraps and debris. Heero simply gaped from the Wing Zero as the Hell moved in for the kill, and he accepted that the God of Death had indeed returned.

Wufei crawled out of the cockpit onto the landing pad, bloody and bruised, and shakily climbed to his feet when Rei came swinging down from the Hell. As she closed the gap, he noticed the difference in her gait, the way her fists were clenched at her side, the way her shoulders were pridefully thrown back as if she ruled the world. His jaw dropped when he saw her face clearly; the blue eyes, the trademark scowl that Duo wore when he was on the warpath. "Duo?" He asked stupidly. Uncontrollable terror flooded every inch of him at the sight of the dead pilot.

"Sexist prick," Duo growled. "This'll teach you to fuck with my baby sister!"

Wufei grunted and fell when Duo's fist connected with his jaw. Then the pilot of the Hell was on top of him, swinging away at his face. Those cobalt blue eyes were the last thing he saw before a fist hit him in the temple and he blacked out.

Saudi Arabia, Earth

4:04 PM

Zechs stared in awe at Rei as she walked steadily, calmly, from Wufei's body, which was laying prone on the cement. _She looks just like her brother._ "Noin had mentioned that you were a pilot, Ms. Hino, but she neglected to mention that you were as skilled as your brother. That last minute or so would have made him proud," he added warmly.

He watched her with interest when she turned and gawked at the ruined Altron, then at Wufei. Her eyes widened in surprise, and Zechs fondly remembered the very first _real _battle he'd ever won against a worthy opponent. He'd been just as shell-shocked and speechless afterwards; Rei would likely need an hour of quiet time for her brain to decompress.

"I don't remember doing..." she trailed off, fluffing her hair in confusion. "Who...?"

"What do you mean?" Zechs asked in concern. He'd heard of battle-rage taking over so completely that the pilot didn't immediately remember what had happened; but he'd never actually seen it before.

Rei opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself and looked at him strangely. "_That_," she said emphatically, waving a hand to indicate the battlefield. "What did I do? Sweet Holy Mother," she whispered, her tone wavering between awe and terror.

Trowa, to Zech's complete surprise, came walking up with a rough-looking Wufei in his arms, wearing a broad smile on his face. The Heavyarms pilot gave Rei a deep nod of approval. "It's been a long time since I've seen anyone put Wufei in his place. Good work." He kept walking, heading for the infirmary with the bloody Altron pilot.

Zechs suppressed a laugh when Heero swung down from the Zero and advanced towards Rei at a dead run. His face was a mixture of panic and wonder, and he skidded to a halt before he actually reached her, regarding her with so much caution that Zechs wondered what in the hell was wrong with him. "Are you wary of sleeping with a woman that can kick your ass, Yuy?" He asked with amusement.

"Save it for later, Zechs," he replied, not even glancing at the other pilot. He studied Rei's face, and was satisfied to see that her eyes were black. "Are you alright?"

Rei shrugged. "Other than my right side, and what feels like a bitchin' sunburn, I think I'm fine," she answered. "Are _you _alright? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Heero laughed darkly, and shook his head. "If only you knew, sweetheart. Either I've done just that, or I'm losing my fucking mind," he answered.

################

Rei didn't even bother to argue when Heero had scooped her up, carried her to his bedroom, and insisted that she took a nap. She'd stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to process what had happened out on the landing pad, but she was simply too exhausted to think.

_"Can you… hear… now?"_

_ Rei looked around, surprised at how fast she'd been sucked into this familiar dreamscape. The snow was still falling outside, the cows were sleeping, and the horses were eating hay out in the barn. She turned to look at the radio still sitting on her desk. "You're breaking up," she answered, and started to fiddle with the knob. "Keep talking," she ordered._

_ "Talk… I'm talk… I'm talking, I'm talking, I never shut up, and I'll talk and talk 'til I make you nuts!" Duo sang. "How's that?"_

_ "Crystal clear, big brother. What's up in Heaven?" She asked contentedly, simply happy to speak to her brother, even if it was only when she asleep. _

_ "God's about to start bowling, expect a thunderstorm," he teased. "How's Wufei? Still bleeding, I hope."_

_ "How'd you know about that? Oh wait, duh. You're in Heaven, you can see everything. He was still in the infirmary when Heero made me a take a nap," she answered, "but I'm hoping I didn't hurt him too bad. I don't even remember beating the shit out of him," she grumbled. "That's something I wouldn't want to forget."_

_ Rei could almost hear him grin through the radio. "I know why you don't remember, baby sister."_

_ "Please, by all means, share."_

_ "You prayed, remember? I was the answer, apparently. You passed the fuck out, and I took over."_

_ "What!" Rei practically screamed. "Bullshit! I have weird dreams, but I don't channel!"  
"Add it to your many talents," Duo said with a laugh. "God, that was so fucking __**cool**__!"_

_ Rei shook her head and grew quiet. _No, I did _not_ channel my dead brother, that's just impossible. _"Stop fucking with me Duo, seriously," she insisted, trying to keep the panic from her voice. _

_ "I'm not fucking with you Rei," he answered seriously. "You really did channel me. Only God knows how it happened, though, He works in some awfully mysterious ways sometimes." When she was silent, he spoke again. "Don't freak out, baby sister. I swore we'd be together, even in death. We just didn't know how true it would be."_

_ "How can you be so fucking casual about this, Duo? You were just channeled through your baby sister, and you're calm as a Hindu cow!"_

_ Duo would have shrugged if Rei could've seen it. "Shit, baby sister, I'm __**dead**__. There ain't a lot that fazes you when you're dead."_

################

When Rei woke, she was soaked in sweat, and ice cold. She was relieved to find herself alone and immediately hopped in Heero's shower to wash up. She let her head rest against the shower door as the hot water pounded down on her back. "I almost wish I didn't remember that dream." On one hand, it was wonderful that she could talk to her brother in her dreams, but on the other, she suspected that her dreamland liaisons with Duo had something to do with his possession of her. That was what it was, a possession; there was no need to sugarcoat it. His possession hadn't been intentional or malicious, and that somehow gave her comfort.

_Can you hear me, big brother?_ She thought. She sighed with relief when there was no response. Hopefully that incident had been a one-time deal. She decided that as much as she loved her brother, and enjoyed speaking with him, she'd avoid the dream house from now on if she could. The brain was like a muscle; if you flexed it and worked it enough, it got stronger. That was likely what was happening to her gift of prophecy, it was branching out to channeling. At least she wasn't seeing dead people everywhere and having flashes of the future while she was conscious. Rei shuddered at that thought. If she was right about her gift getting stronger, that sort of shit wasn't too far off.


	10. Chapter 10

YEAH! The one thing I love more than reviews is seeing my story added to someone's favorites! To me, that is the ultimate ego-trip and makes me feel so warm and fuzzy! It's even better than smacking my husband around while he parades in my heels and underwear—er… nevermind. Disregard that comment…

**ALRIGHT KIDS! READ THE FOLLOWING! THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M, BECAUSE MY PERVERTED MIND CAN'T POSSIBLY TONE DOWN A SCENE IN THIS CHAPTER ANYMORE THAN I ALREADY HAVE! IT'S NOT EXPLICIT, BUT IT IS WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE JUST OVER THE TEEN-RATING LINE. SO WHEN YOU SENSE IT GETTING TO THAT PART (AFTER THE BALCONY) AND YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT, SCROLL DOWN FOR GOD'S SAKE! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, AND IF YOU WANT TO BITCH ABOUT IT, DON'T READ IT!**

Saudi Arabia, Earth

April 7

10:23AM

"Those stitches can come out now," Heero told her as he carefully examined the area just above her breast. He'd entered her room under the pretense of looking for something he hadn't even lost just to see her for a moment. She'd avoided him like the plague since her duel with Wufei, and while he knew why, he wasn't letting on that he did. He argued that he would be pretty freaked the fuck out too if he suddenly started channeling his older brother.

Feeling suddenly shy when Heero removed her shirt and bra, Rei blushed. "I can have the doctor remove them," she offered.

Heero snorted, feeling insulted. "I've been removing my own stitches for years," he said stonily. "You don't think I can take yours out?"

"It's not that," she said quickly, immediately sorry that she'd offended him. "It's just, you know," she said nervously, indicating the fact that she was topless.

"Oh," Heero said with a sheepish little grin. He rubbed a thumb over her nipple just to hear her gasp, then moved back to her stitches with a small pair of scissors. He cut and removed them as carefully as possible; he knew removing stitches shouldn't hurt, but he couldn't bear the thought of harming her, however unintentional it may be. When he was finished, he checked for any bleeding, and satisfied, told her she could get dressed.

"Help me?" She asked, turning her back so he could fix her bra. He hooked it for her, and she felt a little jolt of pleasure when his warm fingers lingered on her back for a moment. "Someone want a sparring match?" She asked with anticipation.

"Always," he replied seriously, "but I need to talk to you." He pointed to the bed, and she sat as commanded, but he didn't like the wary look in those eyes, those eyes that seemed to pierce his very being and perceive his every secret.

"It's about the fight with Wufei," she sighed. It wasn't a guess, she knew this was coming.

Heero gave a succinct nod. "And about Duo." He immediately felt guilty for starting this discussion when she glared daggers at him. "Look, Rei, I saw him on my screen. It wasn't you, it was _him_. And Wufei's saying the same thing, that Duo beat the shit out of him after the fight."

Rei shook her head. "No, it was me," she lied. She had finally found a man that cared about her, was finally doing something with her life that mattered. She would not have all of her comrades thinking that she was either a ticking time bomb or out of her mind. Because that's what it came down to. Either she would channel Duo unexpectedly and be a risk, or she was insane and unstable, which would be an even bigger risk.

Heero wasn't letting this go, and while he understood the reason for the lie, he felt his training coming back to him at the sound of it. He hated liars. He stood and faced her, his arms crossed over his chest. "It was Duo," he said coldly. "His eyes were blue, and yours are dark violet. And he called himself Shinigami." He bent down, invading her personal space. Intimidation had worked for him before when trying to get a confession out of someone. "You call yourself Azriel. Don't lie to me again, Rei," he warned.

Rei's hands clenched into fists, and they shook with her effort not to cry. "Get out of my room," she hissed. He didn't move, and she jumped up and shoved him towards the door. "OUT!" She yelled, loud enough to bring a few of the other pilots running. They reached her door just as she shoved Heero once more, right into them. She slammed the door shut and locked it before sliding to the floor in a heap of tears.

#################

Heero played back the video of the battle over and over again, with the screen split in two; one half was showing the video of Rei inside the cockpit, and the other was a security camera showing the battle itself.

After his altercation with his lover, he'd come to the control tower and requested the videos from Noin, who gladly handed them over; she was as curious as the rest of them about what had happened out on the landing pad.

Heero knew exactly what he was looking for, but he still couldn't quite believe what he was seeing every time he smacked the replay button. He grunted and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his exhausted eyes.

"Find what you're looking for?" Noin inquired.

Heero nodded wearily. "It was Duo, without a doubt. I knew I wasn't seeing things."

Lucretzia shook her head in sympathy for Rei. _She must be freaking out._" How can you be so sure?" She asked quietly.

"Her eyes turned blue," he replied flatly, "but the most damning evidence is this," he said with finality, rewinding the video once more and moving his chair back so she could watch. He pointed at the Deathscythe Hell on the top half of the screen, and slowed the video. "Right there, see it?"

Noin's eyes widened as she watched the Hell suddenly switch stances from right to left, just as Rei's eyes shifted colors on the bottom half of the screen. "Rei's right-handed isn't she?" She patted Heero on the shoulder when he nodded wearily.

"And Duo was left-handed," he finished for her. "She changed dominant hands right as her eyes changed and then proceeded to beat Wufei's ass. Almost all of the bruising is on Wufei's right side, too," he added. "Which means it was Duo, and not Rei, that kicked his ass."

Saudi Arabia, Earth

1:15PM

... "So from what you're saying, Heero's having post-traumatic?"

"It sounds that way from what Noin told me," Lady Une replied. She took a sip of her tea so she'd have time to carefully word her next statement. "I don't know Heero as well as you do, Princess, but I'm having a hard time believing that the Perfect Soldier isn't accepting Duo's death. Maybe he _did _see Rei's brother. Noin sure seemed convinced; she told me what she'd seen on the tape."

Relena frowned on the inside, but on the outside she gave Lady Une a sunny smile. She wanted Heero back, and if that meant she had to convince everyone that either him or that little bitch was crazy, that was fine by her. She _would_ get him back, by whatever means necessary.

Une noticed a slight twitch in Relena's jaw, and looked at her with concern. "Are you alright, Princess? You looked troubled."

"Either Heero is losing his sanity, or his girlfriend is," she answered honestly. To her, it was true; Rei was either crazy or unstable at best. Heero had been insane for years. He had to be to reject her, which was the only answer she had for the end of their relationship. "Do you honestly believe that Duo Maxwell has returned from the dead, and then on top of that, has possessed his little sister in the middle of a mobile suit duel? I'm sorry, Lady Une, but that's an awful big tale to swallow. And I think Heero's likely going crazy if he believes it too," she added spitefully.

Une looked astonished at her words. "Princess Relena, I've never heard you speak of Heero like that before."

"I'm speaking the truth, Lady. Miss Hino is an excellent pilot, granted. I believe that she defeated Chang Wufei on her own, and I seriously doubt that she had any aid from a higher power. If Heero believes that Rei was channeling her brother, he's likely gone off the deep end as much as his girlfriend."

"Forgive me, Relena, but I think you're jealous," Une said with a knowing smile.

Relena kept her smile frozen on her face while she imagined punching Une until her skull caved in and her brain splattered the wall. "I'm not jealous in the least," she said lightly. Bullshit, she was jealous as hell. "I'm simply concerned for Heero's well-being. We haven't been on the best of terms over the last few years, but I've never stopped caring for him as a friend and human-being. If he's having hallucinations or losing his mind, we should do the right thing and get him help. Our history has nothing to do with this, I assure you."

The moment her chat with Lady Une was over, Relena went into the bathroom and stared in the mirror. Her fist clenched in hatred for Hino Rei. "She can't have him," she whispered to herself. "He's mine, you bitch. Forever."

April 8

Saudi Arabia, Earth

12:09 PM

Wufei slowly opened his eyes when he sensed another presence in the room. His vision was still blurry from the beating, but the doctor had assured him that there would be no permanent damage. Leave it to Duo to inflict the most pain without causing perpetual harm. He blinked a few times, but his vision didn't clear, and his head still felt foggy from all the pain pills. "Meilan… am I dead?"

Meilan snorted and he could see her cross her arms over her chest. "You're not dead, Wufei," she answered with contempt. She took a seat next to the bed, and began assessing the damage to his face. "How are you?" She asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.

Wufei fought through the haze of drugs, and realized who was speaking to him. "I'd be fine if your brother had some self-control," he snarled.

Rei rolled her eyes. She'd been about to lay a comforting hand on top of his, but his remark made her jerk it back. "I came here to apologize for beating the crap out of you, but obviously your head's still fucked up from the drugs."

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes, however much it pained him to do so. "Who are you lying to, woman? Me or yourself? That was Duo; I'd know that left hook anywhere." He rubbed his right jaw in memory of several times the other pilot had cold-cocked him.

Rei was glad he couldn't see her face, since she was one of the worst liars she knew. The Doc had tried to teach her how to lie, but had given up after months of training in dishonesty. The Prof once said that some people just sucked at lying, so they'd focused on her other talents. "You're just sour that you got beat by a girl."

Wufei ignored the bait, knowing all too well that she was trying to get him to blow up and ignore the current subject. "I wasn't defeated by a girl; I was defeated by a seasoned Gundam pilot. I know all your brother's moves, Rei. That was your brother in the cockpit, and that was your brother on the ground. You had blue eyes, Rei. Do you think I'm totally blind?" He smiled inwardly when she didn't respond to his accusations. "So, how did you do it? Did you channel him, or did he possess you?"

"I've already been through this with Heero," she snapped. "Don't start, Chang."

"What happened when I killed you, Rei?" He pressed. "I know you saw your brother, but there are legends among my people about near-death experiences, and how they give someone abilities to speak with the dead. You were already having dreams beforehand, I wonder if your death amplified those powers," he guessed.

"Shut up, Wufei," she said bitterly, and took her leave of him. She opened the door and nearly ran into Heero, who looked like he'd been waiting there patiently for quite a while. He effectively blocked her exit while she tried to dance around him, and dodged the expected frustrated punch.

"Sit down," he ordered, nodding at the chair by Wufei's bed.

"You followed me," she hissed, all of her trust in him crumbling to the ground. "Fuck off, Yuy, and let me out."

He entered the room and towered over her as intimidatingly as possible. "Sit down," he repeated coldly.

Rei finally complied after losing a staring match with him, and slouched in her chair, arms crossed defiantly over her chest. Just because they had her trapped didn't mean they could make her talk.

Heero fought and won against the smile that threatened to bloom across his face. The way she was sitting was so reminiscent of Duo that it was scary. He pulled up another chair and sat in his usual interrogation position: so close that he was invading her personal space, but just short of actually touching her. He'd discovered over the years that this was a very effective means of getting information.

"What happened?" He asked stonily. "I'm leaving until I get some answers, and I want to know what happened during the duel."

Rei stared him down for the second time, but was again, the first to look away. She was _not_ going to be subjected to this cross-examination; not by Heero, not by anyone.

Heero continued with the barrage of questions, ignoring her silence, and making note of every facial twitch and nervous movement that she made. Those were answer enough for him; she didn't even need to speak for him to know what had happened. She didn't remember what had gone on once she'd blacked out in the cockpit, but she knew that Duo had come to her rescue. And she thought she was going crazy. That alone made him stop the questioning, and he laid a comforting hand on her thigh. "Dismissed," he said shortly, and nodded towards the door.

Rei smacked his hand away from her angrily and left quickly without a word.

"She didn't even have to talk for you to get your answers, did she, Yuy?" Wufei asked with admiration.

"Of course not. She doesn't know exactly what happened, but she does know that Duo _did_ come through."

"I knew it," Wufei said smugly. "There was no way that little girl could have beaten me."

"Shut up, Chang," Heero snapped. "She thinks she's going crazy. I'm worried about her."

"Of course you are, you're tapping it, aren't you?" He answered, the disgust evident in his voice. "You should have never gotten involved with her Yuy, feeling anything for a woman is just begging to get hurt." When Heero didn't reply, he looked around, but his eyes were still fuzzy. "Yuy? Yuy? Asshole," he muttered, when he realized that Heero had left him to his ranting.

################

Eastern Europe, Earth

1:10 PM

"Is the construction complete yet, lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir. All but for a few touch-ups here and there, the new Gundam is ready," the lieutenant replied smartly.

His superior nodded in return, outwardly cold and collected. On the inside, he was gleeful. He couldn't wait to bring the Gundam pilots to their knees, and he was already well on his way. One down, four to go. Five if he included the Lightning Baron. Zechs wasn't his primary target, though. He wanted Heero Yuy, the pilot of Zero-One. Yuy wouldn't be nearly as easy to assassinate as the idiotic and gullible Duo Maxwell, he thought to himself.

Duo had been so easy to kill that the commander was hardly concerned with Quatre Winner, Chang Wufei, or Trowa Barton. The would be exterminated in due time, just like the vermin that they were. Heero's blood, staining his hands, was what he truly wanted.

I nodded in return, outwardly stern. Inside, I couldn't wait to see the Gundam pilots fall to their knees. One down... four to go. Five if I counted Zechs Merquise. He didn't really matter to me, the one I was worried about was the notorious pilot of 01, Heero Yuy.

"Sir? Would you like to take her for a test flight?"

The commander cleared his throat when he realized the lieutenant had been trying to get his attention for several minutes. "Yes, of course. I trust that the Zero system has been integrated as I ordered?"

"Yes sir."

"Most excellent. Have you named her yet?"

"No sir," the lieutenant answered with a respectful nod. "We thought we'd leave that up to you, sir."

"Thank you, lieutenant. Dismissed."

##############

Saudi Arabia, Earth

6:30 PM

Rei glared at the door when the pounding started again, and turned back to her duffel. She threw in a few more changes of clothing, not even bothering to fold them. She shoved her brother's gun in the back pocket of her jeans and threw the rest of her guns and ammo in the back on top of the clothes.

She sat on the bed, slouching over just as her brother would have done. She didn't want to leave. She loved Heero, and had just started to bond with the other pilots. Her brother had set her on a mission, and she was about to fail because she was afraid of what the guys thought of her. Hell, she admitted to herself, she was afraid of what _she_ thought of herself. She tousled her hair in frustration and threw the rest of her things in her bag, zipping it with finality. "I'm sorry Heero," she whispered, fighting the urge to cry.

Rei made her way to the window and watched the guard detail that was keeping an eye on her Gundam. "Damn it, Yuy." Apparently the pilot of Zero One had seen this coming, and had posted the Maganacs just in case. Rei didn't want to kill anyone, so she was forced to be sneaky. She would wait until nightfall, when they changed shifts, and then she would steal back her brother's Gundam.

The pounding started on her door again. This time it was Trowa. "Maxwell, open the door!" He ordered.

Rei bit her tongue to keep herself from yelling back at him. "No, I'm not going to give them any excuse to try and talk me out of this," she resolved quietly. She would take her brother's Gundam to Riyadh, where she knew the priest at the only Catholic Church in the area, and seek his advice. Based on what advice Father Kesler could give her, she would make her decision on how to handle her situation.

The sound of voices came from outside her door, all of them sounding concerned, and she shook her head. "I'm not opening the damned door, so go away," she muttered stubbornly.

April 8

Saudi Arabia, Earth

1AM

"She won't come out at all," Heero insisted, "and there's been no activity near her window in hours."

"Maybe she's dead," Zechs suggested, secretly pleased with the way Heero's face contorted at that statement.

"She's _not_ dead," he said hotly.

He'd meant it as a joke, but it was nice to get an emotional reaction out of the Perfect Soldier every once in a while. "Maybe she is. When was the last time a Maganac saw her peeking out the window?"

"About 18:30," he replied, "but it's been hours since then, and there's no movement from her."

"Well, Yuy, it's pretty late. I would think the answer's pretty obvious."

"I don't get your meaning." Heero folded his arms and waited, not at all appreciating the fun that Zechs was obviously having with his situation.

"She's probably _sleeping_, Yuy," Zechs said dryly. He shrugged. "Or she'd planning a jailbreak. Why don't you just shoot off her doorknob and give your lady friend a really good excuse to stay?" He smiled when Heero's body language screamed the fact that the younger pilot wanted to punch him.

"I actually have to agree with Milliardo," Noin snorted from behind them. She had been listening to their conversation off and on while she monitored the skies for any activity; namely Rei trying to leave them. "Go sweep her off her feet, Heero," she said, flashing a warm smile at him over her shoulder. "Girls like that stuff."

Zechs' attention immediately perked up at this, and he grinned at his wife. Maybe he'd have to do some sweeping himself once Yuy was out of the control tower.

"She'd probably just kick my ass," Heero said, depressed by the entire situation. "Well, she'd try, anyway. I grilled her pretty hard in the infirmary."

"You never had these problems with my sister," Zechs mused. "You just threatened to kill her a few times and she fell in love with it for some strange reason."

Heero found himself smirking despite himself. "Relena's pretty easy to figure out. Rei's a very complicated woman, and she's got one hell of a temper. There's no comparing the two."

"Lucrezia and I have never had a problem with communication, Heero. You may have read her body language, but I doubt you've listened to a word this woman's tried to tell you," he laughed.

"You and Noin were _best friends_ before you got married, Zechs. I thought that Rei had been sent to kill me. Christ, we've _just_ started to talk about things. A war isn't exactly an ideal environment for pillow talk."

"Look, boy, I can't believe I'm talking to a grown damn man like he's a hormonal teenager. Find some common traits to talk about besides Gundams and things that go boom. _Bond_ or something; having a relationship is more than just about fucking, and I don't have all the answers. Now, get out and go shoot off her doorknob," he finished with a dismissive wave.

He bit down on his tongue to keep from saying everything else he wanted to tell Heero about what a shitty job he was doing in wooing Rei Maxwell. The kid would just have to figure things out for himself, and in the meantime, he and the other pilots would enjoy watching the chase as they had been for days.

##############

2 AM

Heero looked at the doorknob for what seemed like the hundredth time, and huffed. He'd had easier times shooting people than he was currently having with shooting one inanimate object. "Just do it, Yuy," he grumbled, and pulled out his firearm. He pulled the trigger three times in quick succession, then kicked the door open.

Rei jumped in surprise, and barely hung onto the ledge of the window, which she'd just swung over. She stayed silent and watched Heero stalk into her room in the dark. There was such an expression of genuine concern on his face that she had to physically restrain herself from answering him when he called her name. She looked down. She could drop to the ground ten feet below her, but she probably couldn't do it quietly enough to keep from alerting him. She chose to hang on; her arms were more than strong enough, even with her healing wound. She had always placed first in pull-ups and the dead-hang in gym when she'd been in school.

She thanked God when he neglected to turn on the light, especially when he came out to stand on the balcony and study the Hell from a distance. The Maganacs were still on duty, but they would be changing shifts soon. _Piss off,_ she silently urged. She found a hold in the wall with her toes, and eased some of the strain off her right side.

Heero stared out, puzzled by her sudden disappearance. If she wasn't in the Winner mansion, and she wasn't trying to steal the Hell, where was she? He stopped himself for a moment, and made himself think. _Where would he be_? No, that was stupid. Rei didn't even have the access codes for the other Gundams, but that's what he would have done. A better question popped into his head, and he left the balcony to sit on her bed and think. _Where would Duo be?_

He surveyed the room slowly this time, carefully noting that all of her personal effects and clothing were missing. He checked the closet and under the bed. Her guns were missing, too, particularly Duo's Peacemaker. So, she had her things, and her duffel was missing, which meant she had either left, or was in the process of leaving. So she would be en-route.

His head snapped up when he realized that there was only one way to her Gundam if she hadn't left via the door, and he stared carefully at the balcony. Was that movement on the ledge? His night vision wasn't as good as it had been as a youth, but—yes, there it was! A hand! The smirk on his face just wouldn't quit as he silently crossed the room and watched her hanging there. She was looking down; she hadn't seen him approach, and it looked like she was gauging the fall just before she would—Heero shot forward and snatched her hand just as she let go, and hauled her back over the balcony before she could react. "Not today, sweetheart."

The kicking and screaming started when he threw her over his shoulder and lugged her to the bed. He dumped her unceremoniously on the mattress and stood over her with his arms crossed. "And just where were you going?" He dove on her and drug her back onto the bed when she tried to flee out the door. He stripped the duffel from her shoulder and threw it on the floor. "Not going very far without that, are you?" He asked, pinning her legs with his body when she tried to kick at him.

Rei gave up struggling and just snarled wordlessly at him, knowing that she couldn't beat him in a straight fight; he was just too physically strong for her to win.

"The way I see it, Maxwell, we have a few options. I can go away and let you leave. I can fight you every step of the way until I have to hog-tie you. Or we can talk about this and reach an agreement."

"I like the option where you let me the fuck go." She tried to kick him again, but found that her legs were firmly secured. She was totally unprepared when he kissed her, and found herself returning it passionately. Being pinned to the bed suddenly changed from infuriating to arousing, especially when he wouldn't release her arms when she tried to lift one to run her fingers through his hair.

Heero moved his mouth to her throat, eliciting a moan from her, and when she arched her hips into his, he used sleight of hand to remove the gun from her back pocket. The last thing he wanted was for her to be pissed _and_ armed. He released her arms to strip her of her jacket, knowing that there was likely another weapon in one of the pockets. He threw it on the floor and renewed the assault on her lips, pinning her back to the bed before she could even react.

He repeated the previous actions and removed her boots and the knives stashed in them, then her pants. His own shirt whispered to the floor when she found her hands free and immediately went for his own clothes in a furious need for them to no longer separate their skin.

In his frenzy, he didn't bother to pin her hands this time, and his pants and boxers flew through air to join the rest of the discarded clothing. He moaned when her lips caressed his throat, and froze when they were followed with the prick of cold steel.

"You forgot to look under the pillow," she chided breathlessly. She tsked, clucking her tongue in disappointment, and shifted the knife so that she wouldn't risk cutting him on accident. "I really would have expected more from you, Heero."

His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her, and the smoldering desire in them was replaced with cold calculation. "What's your plan, Rei? The others will have you tied and gagged before you can even take off."

Her eyes sparkled mischievously, and she seductively raised her hips against his. "No plan," she confessed. "Just proving a point, really. You think I wouldn't notice that you were making every effort to remove my weapons before your pants came off? Well, all of them but one," she added, looking pointedly at her underwear. "I'm discovering that that, too, can be a very effective weapon."

He fought against the laugh that rose in his throat when he realized that she was just fucking with his head. "I guess I underestimated you," he said slyly, pressing his hips forward when she raised hers once more. Heero was studying her closely now, and noticed the way she'd bit down on her lip during that brief movement. He did it again, and got the same result, followed by a fluttering of her eyelashes. "You know, sweetheart, I have a pretty potent weapon down there as well," he breathed in her ear, just before nibbling on it. "Put down the knife and I'll be more than happy to let you fire it a few times."

Rei found her face reddening despite her efforts to stay in control of the situation. "And what do I get?"

"What do you want, sweetheart?" He asked seriously. He kissed her briefly, taking a risk by pressing his throat down on the blade, and was pleased when she pulled it back a little.

"I want to go to Riyadh, and I want you all to stop questioning me about Duo," she answered, fighting to keep her eyes open when he started nibbling on her ear again.

"Done."

"Swear it."

The blade was back at his throat, and he regarded her seriously. "I swear it on my Gundam." He held his hand out for the blade, and when she carefully relinquished it, he ran the tip of it down to the center of her bra. With a flick of his wrist, it was cut, and with another quick movement, so were her underwear. "Just in case you've got anything else hidden, I don't want to be distracted while undressing you." He threw the knife without even looking, and knew it would be buried in the wall, far out of her reach.

"You're replacing that bra," she said with a chuckle.

"Shut up," he ordered, just as his mouth came crashing down on hers again.

**End of the chapter, yall! I hope that those of yall that read the whole thing enjoyed the hot and steamy scene, it's likely the only one I'll write since I want to keep this fic *mostly* teen. Like it, great! Hate it, shut the eff up and don't read it anymore! Though I hope of course, it's the former of the two. Love yall!**


	11. Chapter 11

Revised 5-9-12

I have to keep this author's note up. It was true then, and it's true now, yall. Welcome to my anime harem, boys. ^_^

AN: I do not own GW, SM, or the rights to Hoobastank. If I did, I would be very very rich, and I would have already raped Duo, Trowa, and Heero (not necessarily in that order), and have flown the Deathscythe Hell myself. *whines* _**I**_ wanna play with the thermal beam scythe! It's my turn! Why does Duo get all the fun! It's not fair!

April 8

Saudi Arabia, Earth

4AM

"_Hey, baby sister."_

_ "Oh no, not this shit again." Rei had avoided the snowy place since the altercation with Wufei, and she had avoided it in her sleep tonight, too._

_ "Hey, you stayed away, so I came to you," Duo said with a knowing grin. _

_ "I _can't _sleepwalk, Duo, not tonight, Heero's in the bed with me!" She raged at him, grabbing him by his jacket and shaking him for good measure._

_ "Ew, sissy, too much info right there. Look, give me a second." His eyes squinted in concentration, and he smiled brightly at her. "There, problem solved, no sleepwalking tonight, ok?"_

_ "What did you do?" She asked suspiciously._

_ Duo shrugged. "I wasn't completely sure until now, but it seems I can still exert some physical control over your body. I'm simply keeping you in the bed… what?" He asked, when she just stared at him._

_ "You do realize that you're now laying in the bed with Heero, and he's naked. That's pretty fucking disgusting, even for you, Duo."_

_ "You didn't seem to think it was too disgusting."_

_ "Yeah, but I was the one in the bed with him. Now it's essentially you in the bed."_

_ Duo shrugged, and grinned sheepishly. "Fine then, I'll be more than happy to have you walking around the base in the nude." He squinted his eyes again. "Maybe I'll take you for a test drive just to be sure I can still do it!"_

_ "No!" Rei screamed at him, shoving him to the floor of the empty area they were sort-of standing in. _

_He floated right back up and winked at her. "Don't worry, baby sister, I won't let the guys see your junk," he assured her. _

_Rei rolled her eyes at his teasing, and sat with her legs crossed in the air. "What do you want?" She grumbled. _

_Duo hid a little pang of hurt at her rejection. "I just wanted to see you, is all. And to tell you to beware the ice," he added seriously. "I don't know what that means just yet, but I know it's bad."_

"_I'm sorry," Rei sighed. "No, really, I am," she continued when he quirked an eyebrow at her. "But you have to understand, Duo. This shit with Wufei freaked _everyone_ out, not just the guys. I think it freaked me out the most."_

_Duo hugged her tightly, and was happy when she wrapped her arms around him. God, how he loved her, more than anything else in the world. "I won't do it again," he promised. " And I'm sorry if I compromised your status with the other pilots. We'll just stick to the dreams from now on, ok?"_

_Rei laid her head against his chest and breathed in his scent, a smell she had missed terribly since leaving his apartment. "Duo, why _are_ the dreams stronger now than they were before? Is it because I died?"_

_He nodded. "Yeah, I think that when you came back, you kept a bit of the afterlife with you. Once you made that connection, you couldn't completely unmake it again. Before, your gift was like a creek, but now, it's more like a river. The way over is stronger now, and wider. Lord knows what else you might be able to do if you tried, baby sister."_

_Rei shivered at the thought. "I don't want to try anything else, this is all freaky enough as it is." She pulled back and looked at him. "I've wanted to ask you, Duo, have you seen the Father and the Sister?"_

_Duo hung his head. He'd been praying that she would never ask him that question, and he was ashamed of the answer he had to give her. "No," he said sadly. "I'm not really in Heaven, sissy."_

_Rei's eyes widened, and she asked the next question before she could keep it from flying out. "You're not in Hell, are you!" She yelled in alarm._

_His head snapped back up and he stared at her. "God, no!" He quickly fumbled for an answer; even he wasn't totally sure where he was. The only thing he knew was that he was alone, and very lonely, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was, however, allowed to watch the living. "I think… I'm in Purgatory, or something. It would make sense. I did a lot of bad things when I was alive, Rei."_

_She hugged him tightly. "You didn't do anything you didn't have to."_

"_I think that's why my nuts aren't roasting right now."_

"_Something's trying to wake me up," she grumbled. "I can feel it pulling me back."_

"_Is it Heero, waking you for some early morning nookie?" Duo chuckled when she shoved at him playfully. "Go on," he said with a wave. "Just take a nap once in a while and come see me, ok? I get bored."_

"_Promise," she said with a smile, and faded back into consciousness. _

"You ok?" Heero smiled when she opened her eyes and rubbed them tiredly. "You were talking a lot."

"I was thinking about finding that knife," she said sleepily. She murmured with pleasure when he rolled on top of her, already prepared to make love to her again. "Twice wasn't enough?" She stroked that spot on his spine that made him crazy, and rocked her hips against his.

"It's not enough until you're walking bowlegged," he said shortly, just as he slid inside her.

##############

April 8

10AM

Wufei waited patiently just outside of Rei's room, as he'd done all morning. Neither her, nor Heero had been seen, so that left only one place left to check. The doorknob had been shot off, but Wufei simply wasn't going to barge in on them, especially when he knew they would be in a compromising position. As badly as he wanted to talk to Duo's sister, it wasn't worth getting shot by Heero for interrupting… whatever it was that they were doing in there.

He rolled his eyes, not wanting to think about it. _Everyone_ had heard the gunshots last night, and had come running in alarm. By the time they'd gotten to Rei's door, however, the only sounds coming from her room were those of hot lovemaking. They had all given each other a grin or a knowing smile; even Wufei hadn't been able to keep his lips twitching with mirth at the sound of Heero finally getting some.

Wufei had to admit to himself that he was a little jealous. Well, not jealous, exactly. Envious was a better word to describe it. He had loved his wife in his own way, but they had barely known each other, had barely been friends before they'd been forced into an arranged marriage. They had finally started connect towards the end, but then Meilan had been killed. Wufei had never allowed himself to care for a woman after Meilan's death, but he found himself growing oddly attached to Rei. A brother affection, he decided. With that thought, he decided to act more like a brother than an enemy around her; to protect her from harm as a brother should. If she could break through Heero's stony exterior, she was definitely worth getting to know; no ordinary girl would have ever been able to melt that man's heart like she had.

He stretched his muscles and pulled away from the wall he'd been leaning against for two hours. He could hear hushed voices coming from Rei's room, followed by a breathy moan. "God, how often can two people go at it?" He said in a mix of disbelief and awe for Heero's prowess. Unable to stand there and listen to them having sex… again… he ventured down the hall to the sitting room, hoping to find a cup of coffee.

Sally Po and Lady Une looked up from their own cups of coffee and both of them gave him a smile. "Any movement from Rei's room?" The former of the two asked him.

"_Plenty_ of movement," Wufei said dryly. He poured himself a cup from the pot on the table, and sipped the strong brew. "I had to get away from that door before I gagged at the sound of it all."

Lady Une chuckled. "Well, good for them. Have a seat, Wufei. Sally and I have a plan to help Rei avenge her brother."

His interest was immediately sparked. This would be an excellent opportunity for him to act on his silent vow to defend Rei as a brother would a sister. He took a seat beside Une, and nodded for her to continue.

"I've managed to get some inside info from one of my old colleagues. He was a former employee with Romefeller, but he's been retired for a few years. My informant knows who killed Duo, and says that the assassin will be speaking at a charity ball tomorrow night."

"What's his name?" Wufei asked curiously.

Sally shrugged, and leaned back in her seat, giving her coffee a troubled look. "No one really knows. What bothers me if that I've tried hacking into the Romefeller computers, but his identity is being kept such a tight secret, there are no files on his within Neo OZ."

Une waited for Sally to finish before she continued. "My contact has gotten us ten tickets to this ball, at a great cost to himself. "How much longer do you think she'll be?" She asked with a smile.

Wufei rolled his eyes and took a drink to give himself time to answer. "I have no idea, honestly," he said wearily. "Heero seems to have the stamina of a racehorse." He snorted when both women snickered at his discomfort. "Why?"

"Nevermind," Lady Une said with a grin that could only mean she was hiding something. "We have a _special_ plan for her. I think she will be very pleased with what Noin and Trowa came up with."

##############

April 9

Indonesia, Earth

5:02 AM

"Sandrock, wake up. We are nearing our destination."

Quatre blinked his heavy eyes open when Trowa came on his vidscreen. He checked their location, and realized with embarrassment that he'd slept through most of their flight. "I'm awake, Heavyarms." He turned off the autopilot, and was frankly amazed when he realized they'd flown this far without being harassed by Neo OZ.

Duo's old cloaking device had obviously worked. Quatre felt a pang of grief at the thought of Duo, and knew he wasn't the only one missing him. Even Wufei, whose jaw tightened every time his name was mentioned. Maybe he only missed the exercise of chasing Duo around whenever the other pilot cracked a joke at his expense, but the Altron pilot missed him, all the same.

"Sandrock, are you alright?"

Quatre forced a smile when he looked at Trowa, and realized that a few tears had escaped his eyes. He hastily wiped them away. He could never be as stony as Trowa of Heero, and they all accepted that he was easily the most emotional of all the pilots. Duo had been the only other one to let his real feelings show on a regular basis. "Fine, Heavyarms, thanks."

Trowa nodded, not one to intrude on his friend's private conflicts. He was a good friend, and the only one that truly understood Quatre.

"Whoever you are, you're entering a private no-fly zone. Leave the airspace immediately." Howard's face blinked on both of the screens. He looked like he'd just been very rudely awakened, and none too thrilled about it. God, did he actually sleep in those ugly shirts, too? This shirt was just as gaudy as all the others, making him look like some kind of tourist, rather than a permanent resident.

"Howard! How are you, my friend!" Quatre hit the return button and gave Howard a sunny smile.

He popped on his sunglasses and grinned from ear to ear. "Sandrock, my boy, good to see you! Who's that with you?"

"Heavyarms here," Trowa replied.

"Good to see you as well. I hope that things are going well for you boys, eh? Go ahead and land near the hangers. I'll have my crew fuel the Gundams while we catch up."

"Sounds good," Trowa said in his usual monotone.

"Thanks," Quatre added cheerfully.

##########

April 9

Saudi Arabia, Earth

7:23 AM

Rei was amazed that she hadn't wakened Heero the moment she'd slipped out of bed, but then again, they'd had some pretty strenuous physical activity over the last two days. She fought the urge to walk funny when she felt the soreness between her legs. She pulled on her clothes, grabbed her jacket and her weapons, and replaced them among the articles of clothing that had survived the first night of Heero's passion. She flushed with pleasure at that thought. "Hot damn, that man is insatiable," she remarked to herself as she slipped into the bathroom.

She stared in the mirror at her reflection, not recognizing the woman looking back at her. The woman in the mirror had a high color to her face that made her look gorgeous, and her hair was tousled in a way that hinted at her nightly activities. And the look in the other woman's eyes was one of a woman clearly in love.

Rei hastily broke eye contact with the stranger in the mirror, brushed her teeth, and then her hair. When she looked back up, the stranger was still there, only she resembled Rei a little bit better than she had before. She still had that glow about her that spoke of a well-loved woman, though. Rei rolled her eyes at herself and braided her hair to get it ready for a helmet.

She grabbed a short breakfast on her way out, and slipped to the hangars unnoticed. Heero had given her his permission to go to Riyadh, but she hadn't exactly specified a time or a day, and she didn't want an armed escort going with her. This was a private matter.

Duo had told her before that his bike was hidden in one of the hangars on the Desert Base. She searched for twenty minutes before finding it under a tarp, and was surprised at its excellent condition. She silently thanked whomever had bothered to keep it tuned up and in good order. She fiddled with the disc player and the collection of heavy metal from the centuries AD, found a disc she liked, and strapped on her brother full-visor helmet as she climbed onto the old Harley.

She coasted the bike out of the hangar, not wanting to make any noise before it was necessary. Riyadh was only about forty minutes away by car, and she could easily make it there in twenty, considering the abilities of _any_ machine her brother had worked on. Another twenty-thirty minutes in the city, then twenty minutes back. She'd only be gone an hour, and no one would be the wiser, she thought with a smile.

"Where are you going?"

The voice made her jumped, and she whipped her head around to glare at Zechs from behind her visor. "I'll be back in an hour," she assured him.

"Tell me where you're going, just in case of an emergency, and I won't stop you," he answered. He quirked a brow when she didn't respond.

"Sorry, Zechs, but this is a personal issue that I'd rather not talk about." She started the engine and took off down the sandy two-lane road, leaving the Epyon pilot in a cloud of dust.

Rei turned on the disc player and grinned. "Highway to Hell" was somehow fitting and ironic at the same time, and she had to fight the urge to bang her head a little while she was driving. She used her right hand to press on the gas, and watched the speedometer climb to 100 MPH. "Duo had great taste in music," she mumbled with a little grin.

"I know I do," a voice said out of nowhere.

Rei's eyes snapped open, and she nearly lost control of the bike. It wobbled a little bit, but she quickly righted it and slowed her speed a little. "Duo?" She said sharply. "No more of this funny shit!" she yelled at him. She suddenly heard something else, and checked her mirrors to see another bike behind her and closing fast. "Fucking asshole!" Rei snapped, and pressed the gas so hard she nearly flooded the engine.

Zechs was flying, and quickly catching up, so Rei looked to the little red button just next to the ignition. Duo had installed a Max-Overdrive system that would allow the rider to max out at 200MPH… if her body could handle the strain. She shifted into seventh gear, and gunned the gas all the way with her right hand.

"Why in the hell is he followed me?" She grumbled, and she watched her speed climb. 120…130…140… She glanced in her mirror to see him still right on her tail. She could now tell from the close distance that his bike was nearly new, while hers was over 70 years old and had very few revisions. She grinned behind her helmet, remembering a trick Duo had taught her.

Zechs motioned for her to turn on her headset, and she did. "Pull over _now_, Azriel," he ordered, taking care to use her codename over the radio, just in case anyone was actually listening. "There's a warrant out for your arrest, and I can't let you leave the base without knowing where you're headed."

"Hey, Epyon?" She purred into the mic, just as she slowed her bike back down to 130.

"What?" He asked.

"Fuck you, sugar." She flipped him the bird as she slammed on the brakes, and he flew past her.

SCREEECH! She vied for control of the motorcycle, nearly catapulting over the handlebars. Rei did countless 360 spins on the back wheel before she came to a complete stop. "Nice move," that voice in her head said again. "Shut up, Duo, and get the fuck out of my head!" She ordered. She felt his presence retreat, and sighed with relief.

She turned her attention to the more immediate situation. Zechs had tried the exact same maneuver and had failed at it miserably. His wheels were smaller, so it couldn't handle the kind of spins that Rei had easily executed on her wider tires. His bike was on its side in the middle of the road, and he was face-down in a sand dune. She rushed to his aid until he started getting up, so she rerouted to his bike, where she ganked the ignition key and shoved it in her pocket, and made a beeline back to her bike. She grabbed two canteens of water from her saddlebag and dropped them next to his bike as she pulled alongside of it, and continued on her merry way to Riyadh.

**Hope yall enjoyed this revision! I have also decided to change the pairings in the rest of this fic, which shouldn't be too hard, and would be much more interesting! Hope yall like that too, when it comes up!**


	12. Chapter 12

Revised 5-10-12

Chapter Twelve

Lady Une made her way down the hall at a pretty fast clip, even for her, her heels clicking on the tile as she went. Zechs had disappeared, and Rei as well. Several awful, incriminating thoughts had already crossed her mind, and while she prayed she was wrong, she couldn't help but wonder. Hopefully Heero wouldn't kill her; Rei was absolutely vital for her plans that night. She tapped on Heero's door lightly, but there was no answer, so she went further down to Rei's room, where the doorknob still hadn't been repaired. She swung it open. "Heero?"

"Come in," he said flatly. Heero looked up at her, his face an emotionless mask. "Where is she?"

Une felt a twinge of fear for a split second, something she hadn't felt since she'd realized she had a personality disorder. She studied him, and found that his mask didn't quite reach his eyes. In them she saw worry, love, and a hint of betrayal. "How did you know?" She asked quietly.

He opened his left hand to show her a silver cross in his hand. She knew that cross, and knew what it meant for Rei to be leaving it behind.

"What else is wrong?" He asked knowingly.

"Zechs is missing, too," she sighed. She knew better than to lie to the Perfect Soldier when he was in a mood.

Heero's face hardened and he spoke so softly that she had to strain to hear him. "I hope you find him before I do, Une." His tone sent shivers down her spine, and she knew without a doubt that he would shoot the pilot of the Epyon first and ask questions later. "You take the Wing Gundam," he ordered coldly. "I'm taking Trowa's bike."

"Heero… it's probably not what you think, really." She was going to say more, but he silenced her with a look that immediately had her biting her tongue. Une mustered up all her courage, and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Rei probably just left to go somewhere, and Zechs followed her, trying to bring her back. Since they're not back yet, Rei likely stranded him or killed him and continued on her way."

"Do you think I'm so blind that I didn't consider that!" He yelled, unable to control the jealousy and hurt that was welling up inside of him. They had made passionate love all night, and this morning, and then she'd just left him without a word. Despite what she and others may have thought of him, he wasn't heartless; in fact, it was quite the opposite. His training just wouldn't let him show it 99% of the time.

Lady Une felt a lump of sympathy in her throat. If Heero was yelling, he was more than just a little bit bothered by Rei's disappearance. Yuy never yelled, let alone let his eyes betray that much pain. "I'm sorry, Heero," she said, unable to think of anything else to say.

Heero lowered his voice back to a normal level, but was still struggling to control his facial expressions. "That's why I told you to take the Wing. You search the desert, and I'll take the roads. Is Deathscythe gone?"

"No."

Heero nodded once, sharply, and turned, flipping his bomber jacket over his muscular shoulder. "She's likely taken Duo's Harley, then. That dumb-ass installed an MO drive in it," he grumbled, and walked off towards the hangar.

##############

Rei skidded the bike to a halt in front of the old church, put it in park and cut the engine. She studied the sign; it was old and crumbling, but the fresh paint read:

Maxwell Catholic Church

Father Matthew Kesler

The building was in shambles, but it didn't surprise her very much. She was in a mostly Muslim country, and this was likely the only Catholic Church for hundreds of miles around. She figured the Father didn't get enough parishioners to help with the upkeep on the outside.

It was quiet inside, peaceful, and as she guessed, there was no one else in the building. She wondered for a minute if she was totally alone, until a man in priest's clothing walked through a door from the right side of the altar. "Duo…?" He asked, stopping in his tracks. He just gawked at her, unable to do much else in his astonishment.

Rei may not have been his blood sister, but her resemblance to her brother had once again floored someone Duo had known. She had dressed in some of Duo's old clothes, and was wearing one of his jackets, and her hair was still pulled back in a neat braid. She shook her head with a sad smile. "No, Father, I'm Rei. Rei Maxwell."

The Father gathered his memories and finally nodded. "The sister I heard so much about. God, I haven't seen you since you were a little girl." He approached her and hugged her tightly, then took a step back to look her over. "My, you've grown into quite the beautiful young woman. How is Duo? Is he still making trouble?"

Rei bit her lip and shook her head.

Father Kesler grew somber at that news; Duo had been such a good boy, despite what he'd been forced to do in the wars. "Ah, I'm sorry, child. Would you like to talk about it?"

Rei nodded. "Actually, Father, I came for confession, if it's not too much trouble."

Kesler gave her a smile. "Of course it's not too much trouble. You don't exactly see the church bustling with activity, do you?"

############

Heero rolled his eyes when he finally spotted Duo's Harley parked outside of the church. He'd searched several areas in the city, until it had dawned on him that Rei was Catholic. Now he knew why she'd wanted to go to Riyadh, he just wished she'd informed him and taken an escort with her.

He had passed Zechs on the way, and radioed for Lady Une to come and pick him up. At least his suspicion of infidelity was out of the way. "God," he muttered, "how could I even think that of her? Fucking idiot." He had seen the love she held for him last night. All he had to do was look into those dark violet eyes of hers, and he could see that she was completely and totally committed to him.

He just hoped that whatever she'd come all this way for was extremely fucking important, considering all the worry she'd put him through.

############

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been three years since my last confession."

"Three...?" Father Kesler bent down and looked at her through the screen.

"Get comfortable, Father, grab a beer and lawn chair. This is gonna take a while," she warned him.

He laughed, a sound she remembered as a child.

_Yeah, old Father Kesler was one of my favorites._

She blinked. "Duo, if you don't get out of my head," she whispered under her breath.

"Rei? Are you ok?"

"F-fine. Sorry. I'll um, get to that in time," she promised. God help her, she was actually going to tell him all of it. Hopefully he didn't think she'd gone completely batshit. "I've committed the sin of fornication," she began, "several times, but with the same man."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes."

"Does he love you... and are there any plans for marriage?"

"He said so once, but I was dying at the time," she admitted. "Marriage hasn't come up as a topic of conversation," she added with a hint of a blush. "We're kind of in the middle of something right now… a mission."

"Like Duo's missions." He didn't ask, he just stated the facts, and he couldn't hide the disappointment from his voice. "I suppose it isn't the right time to talk about marriage when you're both risking your lives for mankind. But I do hope that it comes up in the future, eh?"

"Maybe," she allowed. "It's too early to think about it, honestly. Ok, I also swear an awful lot, but I try my best not to take the Lord's name in vain."

"Well, I would hope so. Try to bite your tongue every time you want to say a curse, and reword your sentence before speaking it."

"Yes, Father. I'm angry a lot. And not all of it is righteous anger," she admitted.

He nodded in understanding, and let her continue.

"I'm going to kill a man, Father," she said quietly.

"Why in God's name would you do that, Rei?" His voice was full of worry and disappointment in her, and he studied her through the screen.

"He killed Duo," She answered. "And he'll kill me, Heero, and all of the other Gundam pilots if I don't kill him first. I don't see any other solution, Father."

"Pray about it, child. Maybe God will show you another way. You don't want blood on your hands, Rei," he sighed. "Continue, dear."

"I'm guilty of pride. I fought a man named Chang out of pride, because he thought I was weak."

"Why did he think that?"

"Because I'm a woman," she snorted with derision.

Rei was surprised to hear him laughing softly behind the screen. "Did you win?"

"Yes and no… Father, that brings me to the next thing. I need your wisdom…"

###########

Heero stood in a dark corner, unseen, and watched Rei take the Holy Communion from the priest. The church was empty except for the three of them, and he memorized all of the exits and entrances from his position; took note of anyplace someone could hide with a gun in the elevated areas. This church was not easily defensible, and he wanted out before someone from the city reported seeing him and sent the cavalry this way.

"In nomeni patris, et filii…" He heard the priest reciting in Latin, and hoped that this would be over soon. He was getting antsy, listening carefully for any sound outside the church that could be the local police showing up. He noted that Rei must have received confession, too, to be taking Communion. He fought a smug smile at the thought of what she must have confessed about their nightly activities. When the priest removed his hand from the top of Rei's head and she crossed herself, he knew she was about done.

He was stunned at how beautiful she looked when she walked back to the front doors, arm-in-arm with the padre. The pilot of the Hell now had a serene glow about her; an aura or peace and contentment. She looked like an angel.

The pilot of the Zero stepped out from the shadows and took satisfaction when the color drained from her face. "I would appreciate a note next time," he advised.

"H-how…? You followed me!" She accused, raising her voice enough that it echoed in the church. Now it sounded like twenty Reis were yelling at him.

Heero grunted, just barely shrugging one shoulder. "I guessed, after driving all over Riyadh. You'd better pray—" He looked around for a moment, realizing where he was, and made sure not to swear. He didn't necessarily believe in the Church, but he wasn't about to curse in one, either. "You'd better pray," he started again, "that our cover wasn't blown because of you."

He could tell that Rei was also trying to watch her language, from the quick hesitation she made before she spoke. "If our cover's blown, Yuy, that would be _your _fault. _You_ followed me, and went through the city. I took the back roads to get here. Idiot," she mumbled.

"Well, you left your cross on the bedside table! What in the—_heck_ did you think I would assume! I thought you'd left me!" Heero was so close to yelling now that his fists were clenched, and he was reverting to his training to keep his cool.

"You were supposed to use your brain you—friggin retard! The cross was a message that I'd gone to church!" Unlike Heero, Rei actually _was_ yelling, quite loudly, and the two men could practically see the smoke coming from her head.

The priest looked at them and smiled, immensely enjoying this verbal battle between lovers. Even as a child, it had been impossible to win an argument with the younger Maxwell. He would pray for this young man's well-being, he decided. Heero was going to need every bit of it. "I am Father Matthew Kesler. I'm assuming that you are Heero?"

Heero took a moment to regain his normal calm façade before answering. _Thank God for this priest for shutting her up_, he thought. He nodded. "Yes, sir, I am."

"Rei told me about her brother. No one really knows how things work in Heaven, but I think that he's just a sort of guardian angel, really. I don't know if he's in Purgatory, like he thinks, but he's protecting her, and it wouldn't surprise me if he came to her aid again. The Lord works in mysterious ways," he smiled at her as she hugged him. "And if you don't want him talking in your head, child, tell him that I said to go away unless it's important."

"Thank you Father, I'll try my best to come back soon, but I don't think the guard dogs will be as easy to skirt," she said with a roll of her eyes towards Heero.

"Are you going back to the base?" He asked without emotion. Inside, he was really hoping that she was, and that he could follow her on the more discreet roadways.

Rei smiled and nodded, then quickly frowned. "Is Zechs alright? It was several kinds of awful for me to leave him on the side of the road like I did, but I'd warned him not to follow me. I should probably go pick him up," she sighed with resignation.

"I'll meet you there. Radio Lady Une and tell her that you're on her way back. I sent out a search party when we found you missing."

She rolled her eyes. "Men. Geez. If I wasn't in a church right now, I'd be cussing you up one side and down the other." She walked out the door, and started her bike, careful not to peal her tires out of respect for the padre.

Heero turned to Father Kesler, but the Father was speaking before he had a chance to open his mouth.

"What exactly are your intentions with Miss Maxwell?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

The man had suddenly shifted straight from a holy man into a protective father-figure, and Heero resisted the urge to groan. The last thing he needed was dealing with one of what was likely several father figures that had looked after her in the past. He almost thanked God that the Doc and the Prof were dead.

"Do you love her?" The padre pressed, when Heero didn't answer him right away.

Heero nodded, not quite prepared to lie in church. He did love her. He'd only said it once, didn't even know if Rei had heard him when he'd said it, but once he thought about it, his feelings for her were even deeper than he had guessed. Why in the hell would he have driven after her in a fit of jealousy if he didn't love her?

"Have you considered marriage? It's a sin for you two to be… involved… outside of Holy Matrimony."

Marriage? Heero's eyes nearly popped. "Isn't it a little soon to be thinking about that? I mean, yeah, _years_ from now, maybe. Or even months," he added. "But not in the middle of a mission."

The Father was pleased to get an emotional reaction out of this stoic young man. "I see. Take some advice, son." He waited until Heero was looking him in the eye. "If you get that child pregnant, and you don't marry her, God forgive me for the ass-kicking you're going to endure," he said, never losing his pleasant smile. He silently asked God's forgiveness for swearing, especially in the church, but he'd wanted to convey the gravity of his love for Rei to her lover.

"I'll give it some thought, Father, thank you."

#############

Rei tried to control her facial expressions and the urge to laugh when she pulled up beside Zechs. He looked so pitiful it was funny. She dug her keys out of her pocket, and was momentarily tempted to act like she'd lost them. Nah, she'd just had confession, she wasn't going to be that mean. She tossed him his keys. "Sorry, Zechs, but look on the bright side! I could have killed you instead!"

He managed a smile, and went about righting his bike and checking it for leaks. He already had while she was gone, but he wanted to make doubly sure. "In your dreams, kid. You got lucky. Have you seen Lady Une? She was supposed to pick me up; Heero radioed me and said that she would."

"Oh shit, I forgot." Rei turned on the radio in her helmet, and turned off her music. She was immediately alert when a mayday came through her receiver.

"Can anyone fucking hear me!" Une screamed. "This is Gold, piloting the Zero-One! I'm taking heavy fire! Repeat, **heavy fire**! Respond, damn it! Send support!"

Rei cradled her head in her hand and closed her eyes in guilt. This was all her fault. "I hear you, Gold, Azriel and Epyon en-route, ETA is approximately eight minutes. Over."

She could hear the blatant relief in Une's voice. "I copy, Azriel, get your ass moving!"

"Copy that. Out." Rei looked at Zechs, who was still checking his bike. "Get on," she ordered, "we don't have time to check that bike."

Rei hit the MO drive, and they were at the launch pad in five minutes, rather than eight, and running straight for their Gundams.


	13. Chapter 13

Revised May 10-11, 2012

Chapter 13

April 9

Saudi Arabia, Earth

9:25 AM

Rei moved with the shudder that rocked through the Hell under the strike of another missile. "Where in the fuck did these prototypes come from!" She yelled in frustration. Metallica was blasting in her ears, and she was charging a new model of Mercurius, slicing down with her scythe. The shields on it wavered, but didn't break, and she moved quickly to evade another missile from the Vayeate.

Zechs was trying to use Epyon's tail to disable the Mercurius, and Une was basically out of the picture. Rei switched to the antagonizing the Vayeate so that it wouldn't have a chance to fire at Zechs, giving it a real run for its money. She was dodging it so quickly that its pilot was clearly getting frustrated and losing his focus on the other Gundam taking out its partner. Rei was pleased that she was having such an effect on him; she had flown those mobile suits, and knew how much damage they could do in the right hands. They must have been piloted by rookies for Lady Une to have lasted so long against them. While Une was a skilled tactician, and a fiercely intelligent woman, she wasn't the best mobile suit pilot.

Rei's suspicions were confirmed when a young face came on her screen; the pilot couldn't have been much older than her. "Stand down and eject immediately," he ordered, "or we will be forced to take you down."

"Yeah, yeah," she replied. "Like I haven't heard that line before. Tell you what, kiddo, that bastard couldn't catch me either, and since I'm standing here, it's obvious who won the fight. So, I'll tell you what. Turn tail and vacate this airspace, and I'll let you leave with your life." She grinned fearlessly at the other pilot as she switched to her guns and went from defense to offense.

Her grin faltered when he pulled out his beam saber and just barely missed her. _Too much talk_, she thought humorously to herself.

_You need help, baby sister?_

"Duo...?"

_Yup. It's me. You need my help, or you want me to fuck off?_

_"No, I don't think so," she answered distractedly. She was in the middle of a saber versus scythe duel, and it seemed this was the one thing the rookie was pretty good at. _

_I was just trying to help_. His voice was practically pouting, and it nearly made Rei laugh despite herself.

"Defenses down!" She yelled triumphantly, when the shield dropped around her opponent. "Good work, Epyon!" She spared a look to the other pilot, and grinned fiercely at the sight of the prototype Mercurius consumed in a heap of flames.

"Thanks," he replied. "Az…?" Zechs wasn't one to gawk at the unexpected, but he did hesitate for several moments. "Your eyes are blue, dear."

"Blue? But I'm not..." _Duo? What games are you playing? __"I think Shinigami's fucking with me right now," she admitted to him privately._

_Nothing_! he responded in a sing-song voice. _Whoa! What the!_ His voice suddenly sounded really faint, and very freaked out.

_What's wrong! Are you ok?_ She yelled in her own mind. _What the fuck am I saying? He's dead, of course he's not ok. He's the anti-ok._

_I don't know! It feels like—_

_The ordeal in her head had left her completely cutoff from the battle, but thankfully Zechs had seen that and was working on finishing off the Vayeate for her. He blocked a blow aimed straight for the Hell's head, only a little annoyed by the fact that it was standing there like a sitting duck. "Azriel, you alright? Your eyes are violet, but you're looking a little pale."_

_"I don't know," she answered. "Duo was here, but now he's gone, and he was yelling, almost like he was being drug out of my head." She squinted her eyes, trying futilely to make contact with her brother again. _

_Zechs expertly used his tail to disarm the Vayeate, then followed up with his guns to finish the job. "Damn, girl, there's never a dull moment around here with you," he remarked dryly._

_"Yeah, no shit."_

###############

Zechs kept his mouth shut and didn't mention Rei's close encounter with Duo during the battle. He felt that there was no need to mention it; it wouldn't do a bit of good, and would only get everyone anxious. Lady Une was banged up from the fight and sleeping in the infirmary, but Wufei had recounted all of hers and Sally's plans to crash the Romefeller Ball that night.

Quatre rubbed his forehead in worry. "We don't exactly have a ton of time to prepare for this." He and Trowa had returned only an hour before from Howard's, to discover that a lot had happened during their trip.

"I know we don't," Noin replied with annoyance. She, more than anyone, knew that they needed at least another day to pull this mission off without a hitch. Well, wish in one hand and shit in the other. They only had a few hours, and they were just going to have to live with it. "That's why we have to hurry and get our shit together, boys. You guys have done more pressing missions with even less planning time. I have faith that you can pull it off. We've already sent the measurements out for your tuxedos, and they should be ready by early this afternoon. The only thing we have left is to fit our resident lady pilot for a dress.

Zechs coughed in an effort not to laugh. The mere idea of Rei walking around in a ball gown was absurd. He grinned at his wife when she yelled at him to stop it. "I hope you're not adding heels to that dress."

The pilot of the Hell's eyes widened as she stared at the two of them. "I am _not_ wearing a dress!" She shouted. "Get me one of those nice dressy suits of something! I've never worn a dress in my life, not even as a child, and I can't wear dress shoes! I'll be tripping all over everything all night!"

Sally shook her head and shrugged. "Rei, honey, you'll just have to learn how. I know we've only got one afternoon, but Noin and I can help, and Miss Relena will be more than happy to give you lady lessons."

"If you're implying that I'll have anything to do with that _bitch_, you've got another thing coming," Rei spat. "I'll kill her before she can even get through the door."

"Rei," Noin said patiently, "Miss Relena is extremely accomplished. She speaks six languages, and was the Queen of the World at one time. Now she is a lauded diplomat. She is famous, simply because she _is_ a lady."

"Rei, you're going to have to do it," Heero finally spoke up. "You begged me to let you avenge your brother, and if the only way for you to do it is to dress up and play the part of a girl, then you're going to do as your told and take the lessons. As much as I hate to admit it, Noin is right about Relena, and she can teach you more about walking and talking and dressing like a lady in one day than you could learn from someone else in a month."

She glowered at Heero, sparks flying from her eyes, before lunging across the table at him in her fury. Thankfully, Trowa was there to grab her and drag her back. He sat her down in his lap with a thump and put her in a headlock when she struggled. "Don't you dare order me around, Yuy!" She snarled, resorting to cheap shots on her captor when it was obvious that he wasn't letting her go.

Trowa's lips twitched in laughter when she nearly hit him in the balls. "Quite the girl you've got here, Heero."

"Just be glad she doesn't have a knife."

April 9

Colony L1

9:30 AM

This was… different. Why were his thoughts coming so damned slowly. He couldn't feel…anything. Wait, yes he could. Holy shit! He felt something!

"Shut up, you old coot! It'll work, I'm telling you. _I'm never wrong. Never._"

Recognition filled him as he heard those words. _I know that voice._ He found himself digging though his memories, but everything was still coming too slowly to him.

"Then why exactly isn't he awake, you wrinkled old bastard! It's been nearly an hour since the procedure!"

He recognized that voice, too, but who was it? A memory tickled at the far reaches of his mind, but he still couldn't quite grasp it. _Think, damn it! Work, you piece of shit brain!_

"His face just moved, see! I told you it would work." The first voice sounded smug.

He fought to open his eyes. It was working! His vision was really blurry, and he couldn't exactly see anything, but he hand control over his eyes!

"Fine, G," the second voice said, a tad crestfallen. "You were right, it worked."

G? As in Professor G? No way. He hadn't see him since the end of the war. Wait a minute... G was alive! Holy fucking _shit._ _I'm alive!_ His vision started to clear, and sure enough, it was Professor G. And Doctor J, Heero's mentor. He tried to speak, but his throat felt like someone had rubbed sandpaper down it and followed up with a handful of gravel. "What the fuck?" He croaked.

"Famous first words," G said with a smile. "Get him something to drink, dumbass," he barked at J. He heard running water, and a glass was eased to his lips. That was, without a doubt, the best drink of water he'd ever had in his life. It was lukewarm, but it felt like someone had thawed a glacier and was pouring the icy cold goodness down his throat.

"Can I... sit up, Prof?" He asked hoarsely.

"You know who I am, Duo?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise, and shot a triumphant look at his partner.

"Yes, I know who in the hell both of you are. I know who I am, too. Where's everyone else? Are the guys here?" His memories were suddenly flooding his brain, and he remembered something vital. "Rei!" He yelled desperately, "where's Rei! Is she still alive?"

"No one's here except for us three, Duo. The Gundam pilots are all at the Desert Base, last I heard from Howard." J shook his head. "And as for your sister, I have no idea."

"Rei! I've gotta find Rei!" He sat up and stood, only to land on his ass in a heap on the floor. Apparently his brain hadn't gotten around to sending messages to his legs. J helped him sit back down on the table.

"Slowly, Duo, my boy. Slowly. You've been in cryostasis since you were murdered. G and I stole your body before they threw it into space, froze you, and then gave you a complete blood transfusion. We finally got the equipment to resuscitate you today."

"Whoa." This was a lot to take in. Duo remembered being dead. He'd helped Rei out with Wufei, and he'd even been in her mind a few times. Now he was alive. "So you're saying... I'm alive?"

"Yes, Duo, and as far as I can tell... in perfect health." Professor G grinned from ear to ear. He turned to J. "I told you I was right, I told you! I'm _never wrong_! Hahahaha!"

Duo gave one of his usual grins. "Yeah, Professor, you sure did well on this one. Thanks a lot, man... I hate to resurrect and run, but I'd really like to go to Desert Base now."

"Of course, Duo." G and J both grinned this time. "We're both going with you."

**WOO! Revised, yall! Hope ya liked it, I know it was about the same as the old version of the chapter! The next one will have a lot more changes, though, so it may take me til Monday to finish it.**


	14. Chapter 14

Revised May 11, 2012

Chapter 14

April 9

Saudi Arabia, Earth

1:12 PM

"Rei... I think I'm supposed to be leading, not you." At least she could dance, that much was out of the way. But unfortunately, she danced the guy's part.

"Rei, Trowa, stop. This is completely wrong." Relena stood from her chair and walked over, moving Rei's hands to the correct positions. "There. Now Rei, let Trowa lead you. In order for us to pull this off, you have to play your part," she instructed them calmly, hiding her hatred behind a chipper smile.

"Maybe I don't want this part," she growled at the princess. Rei had no problem showing her hatred for the princess, she wasn't going to resort to pretending they were all friends.

Trowa cleared his throat when the two girls glared daggers at one another. He could almost see the electricity arching between the two of them; they were both so involved with trying not to strike the other. Trowa didn't know Relena as well as he'd grown to know Rei, and the look in her eyes made him smile briefly. It was a look he'd seen whenever she was ready to break someone's nose. "Ladies," he said diplomatically, and slid himself between the two of them. "Arguing will get us nowhere." He gracefully kissed Rei's hand, pleased with the way it disarmed her and brought a flush of color to her face. "Let's try it again, you were doing wonderfully." He gave her an encouraging smile, feeling that it would keep the pilot of the Hell from losing her temper. "Let me lead this time, ok? It won't kill you, I promise."

Not sure how she could gracefully return to glaring at Relena, she nodded and sighed dramatically. "Only because you asked nicely, Trowa." She gave him a tiny, exasperated smile. "One more time; I'll try to be more ladylike."

Relena walked back to her seat in a huff and signaled for the music to start again.

Trowa squeezed her arm and gave her a few words of praise when she let him lead her around the floor. She danced beautifully this time, without a single mistake. So far, she'd done everything very well… with exception to the walking lessons. Those had been a disaster. Rei couldn't walk in heels if her life depended on it, so Noin had admitted defeat and had ordered her a pair of tasteful flats that matched her gown. Rei was dancing with Trowa in those shoes, now, and as long as she was careful not to trip over her hemline, she was just fine.

Trowa had to admit to himself that Rei looked dazzling in her dress. If Yuy hadn't already laid claim to her, he would have jumped at the chance this afternoon. "Yuy's a very lucky man to have you, Rei," he whispered in her ear.

She blushed and smiled at him shyly, and broke away from him quickly when the music ended. "Thank you, Trowa," she said bashfully.

Trowa nodded to her and gave a little bow, then turned to Relena. "I think she's got it, you want us to go again?"

Relena left the room in a huff without answering, so Rei and Trowa moved on to the next lesson.

####

April 9

Eastern Europe, Earth

6:30 PM

Rei sat between Trowa and Wufei, who were far more suitable companions for her than Heero. She was sitting as far away from him as possible, still fuming over the fact that he'd ordered her around. She would have hit him, given the chance, but every time her fist curled into a ball, Trowa would whisper something funny or charming in her ear, and she'd forget why she was mad for a few seconds.

Heero hadn't even tried to apologize to her, assuming in his usual arrogance that he was right and she would see that in time. He'd merely nodded when she'd informed him that he wasn't her escort for the evening, but if she'd been paying attention, she would have seen the film of ice that had crept across his eyes. He found himself looking away whenever Trowa lowered his mouth to her perfect ear and made her blush or giggle. One more time, and Trowa would be eating Heero's fist with his butthole.

At least Wufei had the common sense not to raise Heero's ire any more than it already was; he could tell it was reaching a nuclear level, and that the stoic man was about to explode. Wufei watched Heero's jaw tighten when Trowa covered Rei's hands with one of his own. It was a completely plutonic touch, but added to everything else, it was going to make Heero reach a boiling point.

Wufei sighed with relief when they reached their destination without any bloodshed. He had vowed to protect Rei at all costs, but protecting her from Yuy would have probably meant laying down his life for her. Not that Yuy would have intentionally hurt her, but in the tight confines of the limo, if Yuy struck at Trowa, Maxwell would jump between them, and depending on whether or not Heero reacted in time, Rei was going to get hurt.

"You're going to do great, Rei," Noin piped up cheerfully, trying to defuse the tension in the limo. She was dressed in a flattering gown of indigo, edged in lace, and cut so low that it didn't leave much to the imagination. She kept noting how her husband would quickly look at her cleavage, smile at the fact that those boobs were his, and then just as quickly look away when she caught him staring. Noin wondered if he was purposely letting her catch him looking. _Men_, she thought to herself.

"I hope so," Rei answered, obviously fighting a case of nerves as they pulled up to the curb. She and the boys all put on their masks. Thankfully this was a masquerade ball, so none of them had to worry about being recognized.

They piled out of the limo, with Trowa and Wufei playing the perfect gentlemen and helping Rei climb out in her beautiful and elaborate ball gown. She radiated perfection and feminine beauty, with just a hint of sexual promise, and none of the men could help themselves from stealing glances at her.

Heero didn't bother stealing glances at his lover; he simply kept his eyes focused on her and no one else, in hopes that she would forget their argument and choose him as her escort. He stood there as the other men lined up beside him, waiting on Rei to make her choice. When she'd told Trowa that she would rather pound sand than let Heero take her, he'd spread the word, and all of the pilots had eagerly offered her their services for the evening.

Rei had been flattered beyond belief, but hadn't known who to pick, so she'd told them all gently that she would choose when they arrived. Trowa had offered first, the Heavyarms pilot flirting and cajoling her. Since he'd been her dance partner, he'd teased, she was sure he wouldn't crush her feet at the ball.

Quatre had shown up with flowers and a sweet smile, and had assured her that his intentions were nothing more than for her to have a good time, and forget about her upsetting argument for the evening.

Wufei had been leaning against her doorway when she'd opened it, on her way out to find Noin and Trowa. He'd grunted something about making sure she was safe, and how he was the obvious choice for the job if she needed a protector. Rei had smiled and tried not to laugh. He was being so sincere that she would have felt like the biggest bitch in the world if he'd thought she was laughing at his offer. She wouldn't have been, she would have been laughing at how absurd it was that Wufei was suddenly being nice to her.

Rei studied all five of them. Heero was out, if she got close enough to touch him, she would break his face. Quatre didn't stand a chance against Heero if her lover got mad enough to take his frustrations out on him, and while she was quickly warming up to Wufei, choosing him still seemed absurd. Trowa was the most ideal choice; he was a wonderful dancer, and while he didn't speak much, he always seemed to say the right thing whenever he opened his mouth. She quickly put on her mask, and smiled at Trowa. "Come on, big boy. Remember not to step on my feet."

Trowa stepped forward and offered his arm, and tried not to notice money discreetly exchanging hands between all of the others except for Heero. Apparently there'd been some side-betting going on. He heard Wufei muttering as he paid up, something about how he'd been more charming than he'd ever been with Meilan. "You look gorgeous," he told her in hushed tones.

Rei blushed and smiled at him, the color in her face only making her look even more stunning. "You know," Trowa began, "Heero will very likely try to kill me for this."

She snorted in typical Rei fashion. "You asked me, remember? And it seems you've made a bit of money on the side. I don't know whether to be insulted or flattered."

He nudged her and winked. "I'll split the winnings with you. Fair?"

She laughed and nodded. "You are _totally_ forgiven."

Heero's scowl impossibly deepened when he heard Rei's tinkling laugh coming from several yards in front of him. "I'm going to kill Trowa," he muttered to Zechs. "Any advice for doing it quietly?"

Zechs grinned. "Not really. Keep your fists up; Trowa likes to go for the face."

####

Heero glared at Trowa from across the dance floor. Trowa must have sensed him watching, and looked right back at him, gave a little apologetic shrug, and turned back to his engrossing conversation with Rei. Heero had never seen the Heavyarms pilot talk so much in such a short time. Whatever their conversation was about, it must have been very interesting. He wondered if it was about him.

He turned back to his conversation with Wufei, who had loyally stayed by his side. "If Trowa even _thinks_ about—"

"Shut up, Yuy," Wufei grumbled. He genuinely liked the other pilot, and was mildly amused to see him so jealous, but it was getting old quickly. "Trowa isn't going to make a move on your woman. How quickly you've forgotten that we all offered to escort her."

"Yeah, but she didn't choose you or Quatre. She chose Trowa, and Trowa's a slick bastard when it comes to women."

Wufei looked up at him, deeply insulted. "And I can't be just as slick, given the chance?" He retorted.

Heero looked amused for a moment. "Seriously, Wufei?" He growled when he observed Trowa pull her to him and kiss her. It didn't last long, but it was anything but chaste. "Alright, that's enough, I'm breaking this up."

Wufei quickly yanked him back into his seat by his coattail. "You'll blow our cover, Yuy," he reminded him.

"Let me go. Now," he said icily. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

"You're not going near them, Yuy," Quatre said from his other side. The blonde was now holding him back instead of Wufei. "You had no right to order Rei around like she was some sort of dog. She loves you, Heero. If you had simply asked her to take Relena's lessons, she would have done it. She wouldn't have been happy about it, true, but she would have done it for _you_. The only way you're going over there is if you apologize for hurting her feelings."

####

Rei declined Trowa's gallant offer to get her a drink, and left his side to go find one for herself. She was enjoying all of the attention he was lavishing on her, but she found herself needing to take a break. He was a wonderful man, but he wasn't Heero, and she didn't want him thinking that her responses to his flirting were anything but part of the job. She glanced over at Heero and felt her stomach do a flop. No one else could tell, but she knew he was miserable. She had seen the other pilots holding him back when Trowa had kissed her, and had immediately regretted letting him do so.

_"So, how pissed off do you think Yuy will be if I kissed you right now?" Trowa asked her seriously._

_ Rei laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion, but the sound was cut off abruptly by his mouth on hers. Her first instinct was to kiss back, and she did, but only for a moment. She felt a little pang of lust when his tongue slipped into her mouth and he kissed her slowly, leisurely, as if he could take all the time in the world to kiss her the way she should be kissed. She blushed when she wondered if he did _everything_ so deliberately._

_ He gave her a little smile when she broke away and gently pushed at his chest to keep him at arm's distance. "He's going to kill me now, I bet." Yuy might, that was for sure, but it was worth every millisecond of that kiss with Rei Maxwell. He'd just had to kiss her, even it was only the one time, and it was everything he thought it would be._

_ "Don't do that again," Rei said hurriedly. "I love Heero, and while I'm very pleased that you find me… whatever it is you find me… I won't be unfaithful to him."_

_ Trowa nodded, and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "It won't happen again. Can I get you a drink, maybe?" He asked, returning to the role of dutiful escort._

_ "I kind of need a moment alone, if that's ok." She inwardly sighed with relief when he gave her an understanding look. She'd been afraid of insulting him, but she really needed a chance to regroup her thoughts after he'd so effectively scrambled them._

Rei was jarred from her reflection when she nearly went flying from the impact of another woman tripping into her.

"Gomen!" A soft voice said quickly, and put her to rights. "I'm so clumsy, and I'm still learning to walk in these shoes!"

Rei turned and was greeted by a woman with long blonde hair, pulled up into twin odangos. She was bowing low in apology for nearly bowling the pilot over. She made her stand up straight, and smiled. "It's alright, I wore flats for the exact same reason." She looked the girl up and down. "That dress is gorgeous." It was off-white, off the shoulder, and accented in sequins and pearls. It was totally stunning, and made Rei feel like she was wearing a rag.

"Arigato," the blonde replied, obviously pleased with the complement. "It was my mother's, once upon a time." Her blue eyes smiled just as brightly as her little pink mouth, and Rei immediately liked the girl.

"Rei Maxwell," she introduced herself, keeping her voice low enough that no one else would overhear the name.

"Tsukino Usagi. A pleasure to meet you, Rei-chan." Three more girls came up behind her, and Usagi glanced at them all. "How rude, I apologize, minna. This is Rei, I was clumsy and tripped into her."

The tallest one laughed loudly. "Not exactly a surprise, Usa. I'm just glad you didn't break her nose." She stuck out a hand, and shook with Rei. "Kino Makoto."

The other two extended their hands, and she was introduced to a woman with her hair styled in a short blue bob, named Dr. Mizuno Ami, and a gorgeous blonde in a dazzling golden gown, named Aino Minako.

"So, Rei," Minako said with a lecherous wink, "who are you hanging with at this party?"

Rei jerked her head in the direction of the other pilots, and she tried not to laugh when every one of the girls' eyes sparkled with adoration. Well, all of them except for Ami, who just sighed at her friends' reaction.

"Don't tell me you have all those sexy men to yourself," Makoto said, obviously jealous. She stared at Quatre, her green eyes wide. "He is so gorgeous… he looks just like my old boyfriend."

"Don't start that again, Mako-chan. _Everyone_ looks like your old boyfriend," Minako grunted, staring at Trowa. "That one's a dream. Hell, they're all hot. Especially that serious-looking guy with the blue eyes and messy hair."

Rei got a quick handle of her temper, reminding herself that none of these women knew her or the pilots. "Heero's taken," she said possessively.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Rei-chan!" Minako apologized, making soothing motions with her hands. "I didn't mean to be checking out your guy. He _is_ yours, right?" She smiled and grinned.

Rei nodded an affirmation, and grunted the moment her arm was grabbed and she was drug towards the pilots by Makoto and Minako. Usagi and Ami followed, somewhat dazed by the other girls' actions.

"Who are they?" Quatre whispered to her.

"Some new friends I made... be careful, the one in the green has her sights set on you."

He blushed profusely, and gave a quick smile to Makoto.

"Ask her to dance, Quatre. What could it hurt? We're at a ball, after all," She smiled at Makoto. "This is Quatre."

Wufei and Trowa walked over, obviously curious as to what was going on. They were also clearly drawn by the presence of a group of beautiful women surrounding their own female.

Makoto was babbling in the background to Quatre while Rei spoke with the other two pilots, introducing them to the other three girls. "Wufei, Trowa, this is Ami, Usagi, and Minako."

They both nodded to the girls, and Minako stepped forward. "Trowa-san, would you like to dance?" She asked him, putting on her best sexy smile.

He looked at Rei for her approval, and she nodded and winked at him. Secretly, she was grateful to pawn him off on another woman before he did something else to get him killed. Trowa gave her a genuine smile and whisked Minako onto the dance floor.

Usagi and Ami were whispering to each other, and the one in the blue dress was blushing, her face totally red. "Wufei, Ami would know if you'd like to dance with her."

Amy gaped at her friend, then at Wufei. Clearly, Usagi was supposed to have kept her big mouth shut. "That's totally alright if you don't, sir. Usagi-chan does this to me all the time—"

Without missing a beat, Wufei extended his arm to her. There was a hint of laughter in his eyes when he looked back at Rei.

She chuckled at the unlikely pair and looked to the only girl left. "Oh, that leaves you without a dance partner," she said apologetically.

"I can't dance," she admitted with embarrassment.

Rei laughed, but it was cut short when someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned to see Heero standing within punching distance, and clenched her fist in anger. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to make sure that this—" he gestured to the other pilots, who were spinning their dates around on the dance floor "—won't interfere with the mission."

"Jesus, Heero. It's _one dance_," she snarled. "Everyone's having a good time except for you, and that's hardly our fault." She remembered her manners suddenly, but couldn't keep the annoyance from her voice. "Usagi, this is Heero."

They shook, and Usagi smiled. "Are you two married?"

Rei's face colored, and she noted the smug look on Heero's face. "Shut up, Yuy," she snapped.

"I'll take that as a no," Usagi chuckled.

"Rei... would you dance with me?" Heero asked. She considered whether or not she should. He still hadn't apologized to her... she glanced up at him, and then looked at the dance floor. She did a double-take almost immediately at the sight of someone she thought she recognized, and pushed roughly by him.

Rei ran across the ballroom to the far wall, and threw her arms around the neck of the familiar face, beside herself with joy. The old man hugged her fiercely to him as if he never wanted to let her go.

"Azriel, my dear," he said fondly. "How have you been?"

Rei pulled back and just stared at him. "But you _died_!" She fought to keep herself from yelling; her little run had already attracted some attention.

"We'll tell you all about it later, my dear." He smiled broadly at her. "My, you are just beautiful, child! It seems like yesterday that you were a gangly little thing that looked like a boy. Now you're a lovely young lady!"

Rei grinned at the praise from one of her father-figures. "Prof, what are you doing here?" She hugged him again, still in disbelief that he had survived Peacemillion.

"The same thing I am," Doctor J said from behind G. He was immensely pleased when Rei immediately jumped into his arms and let him swing her around.

"Doc!" She squealed with delight.

"I wondered when I was going to get my hug," he teased. He held her at arm's length just as the Prof had done, and nodded with approval. "G is right for once in his life. My dear, you're absolutely breath taking."

"What are you two doing here?" Heero asked them from behind me. "And how are you even alive?"

G grinned broadly, his large nose twitching. Rei knew from that familiar expression that he was hiding something. "Just bringing Rei an early birthday present. She'll be twnety soon, won't you, Rei?"

She nodded. "Yes, only one more week." She wondered what in God's name the doctors could be bringing her for a birthday present. Maybe upgrades for the Hell? No, they couldn't bring something like that into the Romefeller Ball… but you couldn't be sure of anything when it came to those guys.

"Hey, birthday present, come on out!"

A young man stepped out from around the corner and gave her one of his large, stupid grins.

Rei blinked and stared, and felt her chest tighten, cutting off her ability to breathe.

"You should close your mouth, baby sister. You might start catching flies."

"D-D-Duo...?"

Heero caught her the moment she passed out from the shock, but couldn't hide his own astonishment.

"Wow, for once, I get a reaction out of you, Heero," Duo said cheerfully. "That was worth every moment of being dead!"


	15. Chapter 15

Revised May 12, 2012

Chapter 15

She blinked her eyes open slowly, but her vision was blurry. She heard the blue-haired girl's voice in the background. What was her name again? Yeah, that's right, Ami.

"Usa, I think she's coming around."

Rei's vision slowly cleared and she all four girls kneeling beside her, their pretty faces scarred with worried frowns. Makoto laid a cold cloth on her forehead while Ami checked her vital signs.

"Well, you seem no worse for the wear, Rei-chan," Ami said with a smile. "You feel like you can get up without fainting again?"

She'd fainted? She felt heat creeping up her face at the sudden embarrassment. She had never fainted in her entire life… what could have made her—"Duo." She climbed to her feet, and didn't refuse the support that Minako and Makoto offered; she needed a little help to stay on her feet until her legs stopped shaking. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch when I get ahold of him!" She growled.

Makoto looked over her shoulder. "She's alright, guys." She looked back at Rei and winked. "Don't worry, Quatre fainted, too, but he came around a lot faster." She sighed. "He's such a cutie."

"Are you alright, Rei?" Heero studied her with concern, their argument all but completely forgotten. "Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, Heero. The back of my head hurts a little, but other than that, I'm ok." She didn't fight him when he immediately moved to examine her head; she just wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone except her brother.

Speak of the devil, he must have heard her thoughts, because he popped out from behind the huge crowd and gave her his usual big stupid grin. "Sorry, baby sister." He rubbed the back of his head and his grin became mischievous. "I knew it'd be a surprise, but I didn't mean for it to make you faint."

"Sorry! Why in the living hell didn't you contact me earlier, you dumb ass?" She jumped up and shoved him, and Usagi grabbed her arm from behind in an attempt to separate the siblings. The throbbing in the back of Rei's head immediately stopped, and her urge to maim her brother abated.

"Rei-chan," she said quietly. "Shouldn't you be happy that Duo-san is alive?"

She thought that over for a moment, and a smile slowly bloomed across her face. "Big brother," she said softly, and threw herself into his arms.

"I was wondering when I was going to get my hug." He held her tightly, not sure if he could ever let go of her again. "Dance with me, baby sister?"

Rei snorted, and gave him one more quick squeeze. "Of course."

Duo led her to the dance floor just as the orchestra began a waltz. She made sure to let him lead, and concentrated on what Trowa had taught her that afternoon.

"Wow, Rei! You can dance! I'm impressed."

"Yeah, Trowa and Queen Shit of Turd Mountain taught me today."

He grinned sheepishly. "Aw, you're not talking about or own former Queen of the World, are you?" He burst into laughter when she made a disgusted face.

"She made me dress up like a girl, and she's plastered herself all over Heero more than once. I'm about ready to draw my gun and kill the slut," I growled.

"You don't look too bad dressed like a girl, Rei. You should do it more often. And as for Relena..." Duo quirked a brow for a moment, and shook his head. "Hey, wait a second! I know that look! You really _are _in love with the bastard, aren't you?"

"Was it that obvious?" She said sarcastically. "The only reason we're not speaking right now is because he treated me like a fucking lackey this morning, rather than his lover. We both know how well I take orders," she admitted.

Duo's eyes widened and he missed a step in the waltz, but quickly caught back up. "Lovers! Yuy and you!"

Rei just stared at him. "What do you remember? When you were dead, I mean?"

Her brother quickly broke eye contact and looked away. "Bits and pieces. I remembered right when they woke me, but I've forgotten a lot of it." He shook his head. "I honestly don't know why, maybe God doesn't want me to remember or something."

"Seriously? I remember everything that happened when I died, but then again, I was only dead for four minutes. You've been gone for weeks."

"Wait, yeah, I do remember something about meeting you on the other side, but it's all blurry. What happened?"

Rei smiled and filled him in while he twirled, spun, and dipped her through two more dances. "I know it's all a lot to take in," she finished, "but if you see it from my perspective, you had me going batshit crazy. Not like that's anything new."

"Hey, if I can't make you crazy when I'm alive, I'll do it when I'm dead, baby sister." He gave her a terrifying grin. "Now, I think it's about time for me to break Yuy into the Maxwell family." The dance ended, and he pounded one fist into his open hand.

"_No, Duo,_" she hissed at him. "Now is not the time or the place, you will blow our cover."

"Oh, fine," he grumbled, and offered her his arm. Duo led his sister back to Heero, and gallantly handed her over. "Yuy, if you break my sister's heart, I'll break your fucking cock. Understand?"

"You and what army?" Rei and Heero asked simultaneously. They gave each other quick, fleeting grins, and Rei let him take her by the hand and lead her back out onto the dance floor. They left Duo behind, fuming, but Rei glanced back and noticed that Usagi was whispering something in his ear. He gave her his most charming smile, and her brother led the blonde out onto the floor for a dance.

"You forgive me?" Heero asked.

"I suppose," Rei sighed in mock boredom. "If I must." She smiled gently at him, and gasped with pleasure when he kissed her tenderly. "Heero," she breathed, when he pulled away.

"Better than Trowa?" He asked seriously. He was willing to let it go… once, and only because she'd rebuffed his advances. But if Trowa ever touched her again like he had before, he would find himself with Yuy's gun in his mouth.

She felt that familiar heat creeping into her face, but managed a smartass comeback. "Close, but it needs practice." Rei snickered when he frowned impossibly deeper than he ever had before. "Why don't you kiss me again, and I'll give you a straight answer."

He stopped dancing with her to dip her back and kiss her with every ounce of desire that he had for her. Within moments, she was moaning into his mouth, her tongue dancing with his, her hands clenching desperately at his shoulders. The look in her eyes was all the answer he needed when he drew back and pulled her close.

Rei could practically feel the flames leaping up inside of her, and wondered if this place and any private rooms that they could borrow for a few hours. "Heaven help _any_ woman if Trowa learns to kiss like _that_," she said bluntly.

Heero laughed and kissed her again, slowly and gently. He discreetly gave Duo the bird when he caught a glimpse of the other pilot glaring at him and shaking his fist. Rei followed his line of sight and they both smiled when Usagi pecked Duo on the cheek, diverting his attention away from the lovers. "They'll make a good pair, I think," Rei said happily.

"Your new friend has a thing for your brother… God help her," he muttered. "You dance very well, by the way."

"Thank Trowa." When he scowled, she shook her head. "No, really, Heero. Don't take that the wrong way. If it weren't for Trowa's patience, I likely would have beat Relena's ass and refused to come here in a dress." She glanced over his shoulder to see Wufei with Ami, Trowa with Minako, and Quatre with Makoto. "Hn, it seems all of our friends have a thing for the girls," she said observantly.

The dance ended, and Heero escorted her back to the sidelines. She had barely eaten a couple hors d'oeuvres when Lady Une ran up to her in a frenzy and yanked on the back of her dress. "The target has arrived," she said in a hushed voice. "He's going to make his speech and leave immediately." Une nudged her towards the bathroom. "Go change, and be quick about it."

"About damn time," Rei said with relief. "These shoes were starting to pinch my feet."

####

"Sweet Holy Mother, that dress was starting to chafe in places I didn't know I had," Rei said to herself.

Sally and Noin both had little smirks on their faces when they caught the roughly thrown garment, until the door to the bathroom opened.

"Usagi? What are you doing in here?" Rei gasped.

"Duo-chan! Why are you in the ladies' room!" Her crystal blue eyes got as wide as saucers, and she looked ready to pitch a fit at his trespass.

"It's Rei, you idiot." She looked in the mirror and quickly smoothed her hair back before returning to her braid; it was only half-finished.

"I knew you were his sister, but I didn't know you were his twin!" Usa said excitedly, and rushed to help her perfect the plait of hair.

Rei nodded, and thanked her for her help. "Sally, Noin, I guess we should fill her in on everything. Usa-chan, this is something that you can never tell anyone, not even the girls. If you breathe a word of it, we'll be forced to kill you," she said seriously.

"Hai, Rei-chan. I can keep a secret."

Sally and Noin told her of our plans, keeping all of the details to a minimum for the sake of brevity. They were all stunned when Usagi burst out into hysterics.

"And you could come up with a better plan?" Rei asked tightly, fighting the urge to hit the smaller girl when her fist balled up at her side.

Usagi shook her hands in front of her as she tried to get a handle on her laughter. "No, no, no, Rei-chan, it's not that." She suddenly dropped her voice to a solemn whisper. It's only that we were also on a mission to kill Hyler."

They all just stared at Usagi, completely unprepared for the suggestion that her and her friends were all assassins. "Who is Hyler?" Noin managed, trying not to choke on the words.

Usagi shrugged. "I'm assuming that's your target; he's the leader of Neo OZ and Romefeller. His name is Brandon Hyler. Ami-chan hacked a few computers; she's a real genius you know. We were planning on—"

"Wait a damn minute," Rei interrupted, "Heero and I couldn't even hack those files!"

"I'm curious," Sally added calmly, "how exactly five girls that couldn't be older than Rei—no offense," she said with a respectful nod in Rei's direction— "could possibly hope to assassinate the leader of Neo OZ. If you're cold-blooded killers, I'm a two-headed jackass."

"Wait here," Usagi said authoritatively. She ran out quickly, and was back in moments with Ami and Makoto. "Their abilities are more… visible," she said hastily, and pointed at the sink. The dial for the cold water spun open on its own.

Ami extended her fingers towards the spray, and the water suddenly took the form of two dancers spinning around in the bottom of the sink.

Rei looked up in disbelief, and studied the blue symbol on Ami's forehead that hadn't been there only moments ago. Something small and silver was fading from Usagi's head, and quickly popped back up when she held her hand back out and the water cut off of its own volition. "What in the hell was that?"

_We're not normal, Rei-chan, _Usagi's voice said in her mind. _The story of our origins is a long tale, and I will share it with you in time, but right now, time is a luxury we don't have._

Rei gawked at her. This clumsy blonde suddenly sounded so damned… regal.

_Ami-chan has control over the element of water, _she continued, _I and gifted with telepathy, healing, and a little bit of telekinesis. Makoto controls wind and lightning. Minako is very gifted; she can control earth, and manipulate feelings. She is also highly empathic. _Her mouth moved silently for a moment as she switched to speaking aloud. "You also possess a gift, Rei, and while I can sense power, I can't sense exactly what that gift is. You all possess gifts, but yours is much stronger than the others'."

Rei turned her head to Noin and Sally. "You guys heard that too, right?" She pointed to her temple. "In your head?" They both nodded, mouths open wide. "Look, Usa, I don't kow who put you up to this, or how you made us all think you were using telepathy, but I'm not in the mood for fucking games," she said fiercely.

Makoto smirked. "I could always electrocute you if you need more proof," she offered.

Rei sat down hard in a plush chair someone had placed in the corner, and hung her head between her legs. "No, Mako, thanks for the offer. For some stupid reason, I actually believe you; this is just too fucking weird not to be true." She glanced up at Usagi. "So, what's this power I supposedly have?"

The blonde smiled gently at her new friend, who was starting to look a little sick, then turned to Ami expectantly. She spoke with her mentally for a moment, then moved out of the way for Ami to step forward.

The doctor slipped a small computer from her purse, opened it, and pointed it directly at Rei. It was nothing like the pilot had ever seen. "Stand up and step forward," she ordered.

Unable to do otherwise, Rei shrugged and did as she was instructed. "Well?" She asked, after several moments of silence. She was expecting Ami to tell her she had cancer or something, with the way Ami was staring in disbelief at the screen.

"You're a Mars," she said in awe. She turned to Usagi. "Usa-chan, I haven't seen a Mars in ages. She needs to be protected… do you know how rare this is?" She asked in excitement.

"Hai," Usagi agreed. "It'll take a while for her to develop her powers, though."

The door slammed open, and Minako rushed in. "It's starting, hurry!"

"Wait, no!" Rei just barely managed not to shout. "We can't do both our plans! We've got guns, and while I'll admit the whole 'powers thing' is pretty freaky and impressive, I'll put my faith in firearms any day. Back us up if we fail."

After a moment to consider her words, Usagi nodded. "I have to admit that your plan has a better chance of succeeding than what we had in mind. You're in charge," she said with a bow of her head. "If you fail, we'll help you."

Noin, Sally and Rei all smiled in relief. "Thank you, Usagi," the latter of them said.

"You're very welcome."

They all wandered out into the ballroom, doing their level best to mingle with the crowd. Rei noticed the other pilots hiding in the shadows, also making an effort to seem inconspicuous. Now that none of them were wearing their masks, they all ran the risk of someone recognizing them, and considering the guest list of this particular party, the odds were against their favor.

"Baby sister, you look just like me, but you're missing something," Duo said seriously.

"What's that?"

"My animal magnetism and rugged charm!" He grinned, knowing his mission was accomplished, when Rei rolled her eyes and smacked her hand to her forehead.

"You're such a fucking retard," she griped. "Now shut up," she ordered, snapping to attention when a very young man walked onto the stage and took the podium. He couldn't have been any older than Heero or the other guys. He was about as tall as Trowa, with carefully cropped hair and stunning blue eyes. Not quite as stunning as Heero's, but many a woman could look into those dreamboat eyes and instantly fall in love. When he spoke, his accent told Rei that he was an American, like her and her brother, but his diction spoke of time spent in schools overseas.

"The time has come, ladies and gentlemen, for OZ and Romefeller to take their rightful places as the rulers of the colonies. Eight years ago, we failed in doing so because of the Gundam pilots."

"But what can make us so sure that the Gundams won't be resurrected!" Someone yelled from the audience.

The man laughed jovially, unfazed by the heckling. "I'm getting to that, my friend. As you all know, the pilot, Duo Maxwell, has already been taken care of. The other pilots will be dead by this evening. My men and I have located their Desert Base, and they shall attack within the hour. The Gundam pilots are finished."

A murmur of approval rippled through the crowd, and Rei and the other pilots collectively looked to each other. They all grouped together in a corner where no one was looking. "Quatre," Heero ordered, "you go to the Desert Base. Warn the Maganacs and your family, and evacuate them as quickly as you can. Have them move our Gundams and any weapons they have time to gather to a secure location. "Rei, this is your cue to begin Phase One. I'm adding an extra objective, though. I need you to stop the target from destroying the Desert Base if possible. Go now."

"Mission accepted," Rei said quickly, and slipped stealthily through the crowd.


	16. Chapter 16

Revised May 13, 2012 (yes, I worked on this on Mother's Day! Be grateful, you turds! XD )

**Please, everyone, if you get a chance to review, I would appreciate it immensely. I'd like to know how I'm doing, especially from those of you that read this the first time, before I started changing things. Thank you! Just a quick note would be nice, won't take you but a minute to type! Love all of you readers, you make me want to continue the story more than any other motivation!**

Chapter Sixteen

Rei slipped into the room that Hyler had come from just before he'd gone to the podium, careful to keep out of sight of any guards. She made sure the room was clear before putting in her earpiece and drawing her weapon. "Zero, this is Az. Make sure there's a vehicle parked outside for me," she whispered.

"Affirmative, Az, bike is located where we parked upon entry. Return to hangar afterward."

She didn't respond. The sound of approaching footsteps entered the large room, and Hyler's voice echoed off of the high ceiling. "The Gundams are finished," he said. It was said with such arrogance that Rei scoffed silently.

Hiding just behind the doorway, she waited until he had passed her by a few feet, and then grabbed him from behind. She wrapped her arm around his neck, and pressed the Peacemaker deep into his temple. "No, Hyler, you're the one that's finished," she said flatly. She looked behind them to see that they were alone, and knew right away that this would be her one chance to kill the man and have a shot at getting away clean. Her eyes narrowed and she growled in frustration at the fact that her mission had changed. "Not one word, Hyler," she hissed in his ear.

She spoke into the tiny mic clipped to her collar. "Zero, this Az, target acquired. Move fast and quiet."

"Good work," Heero's voice said without emotion. "Zero, Altron and Dos are on the move."

"Dos? Seriously, Zero? If he's Dos, I get to be Uno," she snorted.

"Shut up, Az," Heero replied. Rei grinned; she could practically hear the mirth in his voice.

She remembered that she had a hostage, and sobered up. "Now, Hyler, I need you to answer a few questions, and you'll do it quietly if you don't want to redecorate the walls with your brain. You got me?"

"I got you," he whispered, making every effort to be as quiet as he was ordered to. She nodded at Heero and Wufei when they slipped through the side door, guns drawn.

"Oh, I get it, now. It's the notorious Gundam pilots." He sighed dramatically. "I suppose you want me to stop the attack on your precious base. Well, I regret to inform you that it's a little late for that. My men are already on their way."

Heero and Wufei pointed their guns at Hyler's head, and Rei proceeded to pat him down. She removed his sword and shoved both of his guns in her back pockets; extra weapons were always nice to have. She stepped around to where she could see him, and was satisfied at his expression of horrified recognition.

"I had you killed!" He practically shouted, but immediately hushed his voice when Rei pushed the barrel of her gun against his forehead. A door opened behind him, and he turned his head, making a point to do it slowly so as not to tempt Rei into changing the décor as she'd promised.

Rei swung her gun towards the door when it opened again, but lowered it when she realized it was only Trowa and Duo joining their happy little party. They stood next to her, their posture screaming "protect the female!" as they stepped just slightly in front of her, between Rei and the target.

"Two of you!" Hyler hissed quietly.

"I'm Rei, Duo's sister," she explained. "How he survived is none of your business. Sucks to know you were held hostage by a girl, huh?" She asked with an superior smirk.

"You're going to pay for trying to kill me," Duo snarled. No one bothered to rein him in when he stepped forward and punched Hyler in the nose.

"_Duo_," they all warned in an annoyed tone, when he followed up with his gun pressing against the man's head.

"I suppose that's unanimous," Hyler chuckled, unable to ignore the humor of them all speaking at once.

"No one asked you, buddy," Duo said angrily, and gave the man one of his famous left hooks. He returned to his sister's side, both of them looking every bit alike, even in their stance. Both of them gave twin smiles to each other when they saw the blood dripping from Hyler's broken nose and the shiner blooming around his right eye.

"Nice punch, Duo, but you keep your shoulder too tight right before you swing..." Rei stopped when Heero cleared his throat from behind. She put on her serious face. "Hyler, you can call all those soldiers back right now, or I can put a bullet in your brain. Or I can let Duo beat you to death. Either method serves its purpose."

"I like the last choice," Duo muttered, pounding his fist into his open hand.

They all ignored him. Hyler looked up at Rei and shook his head. "You're going to kill me anyway, so no." He smiled slowly. "Now, I propose that you let me go, or _you'll _be the ones getting shot. I was supposed to report to the _real _Hyler ten minutes ago. Do you really think that he would expose himself to any type of attack? I'm just a stand-in. A very unimpressed stand-in, at that. I expected an awful lot more out of the Gundam pilots.

As if on cue, OZ soldiers poured through both doors, and Rei quickly regained her hold on her hostage and pressed her six-shooter against the fake Hyler's head. "I hope you have a lot of friends out there," she whispered in his ear.

"Why's that?"

"Because if you don't, it means I'm getting shot at. Which means we're dying together."

"Well, miss, we apparently see eye to eye on something. I also hope I have many friends in out there," he replied dryly. The fake Hyler smiled when a man identical to himself stepped forward from the soldiers.

"Release my brother," the real Hyler ordered.

Rei acted as if she was considering this, then laughed at him. "Yeah, so you can just gun us all down? I think not." She looked around, and jerked her head towards the door when she made eye contact with Heero. "They all go free. Then I let the imposter go."

Hyler nodded his head graciously. "You may all leave. Be quick about it."

Wufei moved to stand beside Rei. "All of you go, I'll stay and protect her."

Heero opened his mouth to protest, but she shook her head. "_Go_," she urged. "Help evacuate, and Duo will show you where to go." She looked to her brother. "Take him to our base, and tell Jessica I'll see her shortly."

Duo reluctantly nodded. "Don't go and get yourself killed," he said gravely. "Be safe." He moved to embrace her for a moment, then pulled back suddenly. No tearful goodbyes, he decided; that just wasn't Rei's style.

"I won't, big brother. Now _go._"

Heero studied her seriously for a moment, waiting for the other pilots to escape before he followed. "Rei…"

"I _know_, Heero." She shook her head. "I know," she said gently. "Go," she added, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes didn't leave him until he was out the door and out of the line of fire.

"Now, as you promised, release my brother," Hyler said firmly.

_USAGI!_ Rei called out silently, desperately hoping the blonde could hear her. _We could really use that back up NOW!_

_I hear you,_ her voice spoke gently in Rei's mind. _Hold him off for five minutes while I rally the others._

_Five minutes? Was she fucking serious! This was going to be a bloodbath in __one __minute if Rei didn't think of something, and __fast__. "Send your guards out, Hyler. Then I'll let him go."_

_One incredulous blonde eyebrow rose above an icy blue eye. "What makes me so sure you won't kill me if I tell them to leave?"_

_"You have my word," Rei grit through her teeth, furious with herself for failing her mission. If she gave her word, she would keep it, even if it meant her own demise. _

_"I'll make you a deal, Maxwell. Duel me, and win, and I will send out my guards. You have my word as a Hyler, and I always keep my promises." He looked at his brother fondly. "Especially when a promise involves the safety of my family."_

_Rei nodded slowly, and gave Hyler's twin a shove in Wufei's direction. "Chang, watch the stand in."_

_Hyler folded his arms and smiled with malice. "Choose your weapon, though there isn't much of a variety. What shall it be, swords or guns?" While she considered her options, he sized her up. "Funny, I never knew Duo had a twin brother. That is something I'd remember, considering I share in his affliction."_

_Still buying time while she mentally listed all of her options, and not just the weapons, she stripped off her jacket so it wouldn't inhibit her movements during their duel. She was only wearing a tight white tank top beneath it, and it left very little to the imagination. Hyler's eyes popped, and while Rei found this funny, she gave no outward hint of it. _

_"My apologies, young lady, I stand corrected. I should have guessed, when Yuy gave you that long, touching look just before you told him to go." He frowned when she still hesitated to choose, and guessed correctly that she was giving her friends ample time to escape and weigh all of the possibilities in front of her. "Choose. Now, if you please," he said with just a slight hint of impatience._

_"Swords," she finally answered, and nodded to Wufei. "If I may borrow yours?" She requested._

_Wufei unsheathed the fencing sword that never left his side, and gracefully tossed it right into her open hand._

_Hyler drew his own sword, and assumed an en garde position. "None of you shall try to assist me," he instructed his guards. "If I fall, you will leave peacefully and allow them to do the same. Anyone who disobeys my orders will be severely punished."_

_Rei took her stance; it wasn't quite as crisp as Hyler's, but in the very few moments before they began, her mind was flooded with lessons in fencing that she'd taken in school. Hopefully some of them would come in handy. She beckoned with her free hand. "Come and get some, you bastard."_

_Hyler struck with mercurial speed, and Rei would have been skewered if not for her muscle memory. Her arm flew forward instinctively, and she blocked, only for him to press his attack and put her on the defensive. She was blocking and dodging repeatedly, and realized that the fight would be over in less than a minute if she didn't do something, and fast. __No such thing as fighting dirty as long as you win,__ she recalled her fencing master telling her once, and remembered a trick he'd once taught her that worked well when faced with a much bigger opponent. She dropped, and like lightning, swept his legs out from under him while he was lunging forward to strike. She jumped up and stepped on his sword before he could grab it, and put the tip of Wufei's sword to his throat._

_"Well, I have greatly underestimated you, Maxwell." He nodded at his soldiers, just slightly, so as not to nick his skin on the blade. They left as they'd been ordered._

_"I shall keep my word, sir," she assured him. She flipped his sword up into the air with her foot, and caught it with her left hand, and then turned it so the handle was facing him. He accepted it, and she withdrew her sword._

_"Release him, Wufei," she said quietly, and not without regret. There went their only bargaining chip, should Hyler choose to renege on the deal. _

Never a stranger to honor, Wufei did as he was told. "Let's go, Maxwell."

Rei nodded, but first extended her hand to the man on the floor, and helped him climb to his feet. "I'll return to complete my mission at a later date," she promised.

Hyler smiled, surprising himself with the warmth that crept into it. "I shall be waiting for you, Miss Maxwell, and if you shall be my death, at least my last sight will be that of a beautiful woman."

Rei couldn't fight the smile that threatened her lips. "Yes, next time, Hyler."

Wufei and Rei took their leave, and found Duo's Harley just where Heero had said it would be. As soon as she was up to speed, she shifted into seventh gear and floored it for the hangar, where the Altron would be waiting for them.


	17. Chapter 17

**Reina, thank you so much for your review, and I'm glad that you enjoy my revisions, so far. Note, everyone, that this chapter is almost an entirely NEW chapter, which is why it took me a little bit to write it. It's a lot easier to rewrite something and post it than it is to write new scenes… especially when three little boys have their head so far up your ass that you're choking on their hair. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!**

Chapter Seventeen

Rei had loaded Duo's bike into the very back of the cockpit, where she would have been sitting if there'd been room for her. Instead, she and Wufei were trying not to snap at each other too much while she breathed down his neck. "I could always sit in your lap," she said with an evil smile.

"Shut up, onna," Wufei huffed. He admitted to himself that she was just trying to be funny, and while the suggestion would have gotten a chuckle out of him any other day, he was just too stressed out, wondering how the other pilots were faring. None of them were responding to his calls, so he had gone radio silent just in case someone was listening in.

After another fifteen minutes of standing there and shifting back and forth to whichever leg wasn't going numb, Rei finally spoke up. "Switch with me for a minute, please. My legs are starting to hurt."

"Fine," Wufei grumped, giving up the pilot's chair.

Rei sighed with relief as she slumped into a sitting position. "Thank you," she said gratefully. She looked up at him and grinned. "Hey, look at it this way, Chang, at least you're not stuck in here with Duo."

Wufei _did_ laugh a little at that crack. It was true; if he had to choose which one he'd be stuck sharing a confined space with, it would definitely be Rei. "You got a plan?" He asked conversationally. Normally, he would have just remained silent, but even he was growing bored and anxious.

Rei shrugged. "I don't know. We're nearly there, I suppose we'll check the radar, see what we're up against, and decide what to do from there."

"Some plan."

"You got a better one?" She snorted. "No pun intended, but right now we're flying by the seats of our pants." She flicked on the radio for a second, and when she only heard static, she cut it off again. Her hand hovered over the switch when she was hit by a wave of nausea, and one of the most foreboding feelings she'd ever had.

"What's wrong?" Wufei asked with concern.

"Something's… wrong," she whispered, holding her head in her hands. "I don't know what it is."

"Like the dreams?" He asked. He shoved her out of his chair, and sat down, prepared to fight off anything that might be coming for them. He didn't know where Rei's gifts came from, exactly, but he trusted them completely.

"No," she admitted, "this is different." She looked up. "It's coming from the direction of Desert Base. Something is very wrong." They waited a few more minutes, and as they drew closer, the horizon grew brighter, despite it being late at night. "They've fired on the base," Rei said mournfully, praying that everyone had escaped unharmed. "Turn towards the secondary base before we're seen."

Not one to run from a fight, Wufei hesitated, but knew in his gut that Rei was correct. "We'll be spotted if we continue in Nataku. I don't have the cloaking abilities installed yet. We should hide her in a bunker not too far from here, and continue on the bike," he advised.

True to his word, the bunker was less than a mile away, and still just barely out of sight of the base. Wufei used several codes to access the bunker doors, and they landed Altron carefully on the concrete pad. Rei used a ramp to wheel her bike out onto the sand, grateful that Duo had upgraded it to roll on top of the dunes, rather than sink in.

Rei fired it up, and once the bunker doors were secure, Wufei climbed on behind her. "Hang on tight," she warned.

####

The girls all sat on the floor of a small cell, resting their backs against the wall. Usagi was thumping the back of her head rhythmically against the wall in frustration. Her mother was going to kill her if they ever got out of this. "Think, you stupid brain, _think_."

"Giving yourself a concussion isn't going to help, Usa," Makoto said with a touch of annoyance.

"Mother is going to pitch five different kinds of fits," Usagi whined.

"Hai," the other girls agreed unanimously.

They'd come running when Rei had sent her distress call to Usagi, but the moment they'd reached the door that Hyler and the pilots were behind, they'd been restrained and thrown in the this cell.

Makoto stood and peeked through the bars. "I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough of this. Any ideas?" She smiled triumphantly when a guard entered, and shushed them all. _Usa, I have an idea, _she thought directly at her.

Usagi nodded. _I'm all ears. _She was tempted to suggest for the fourth time that they simply teleport, but Ami had insisted that that was only for desperate measures; surely the four of them could put their heads together and get out without using a disgusting amount of power.

"Minako," Makoto whispered, and jerked her head towards the bars. The blonde in the gold dress hurried over and grinned like a Cheshire cat at the sight of the male guard. "Guard?" She asked sweetly. She batted her eyelashes just slightly for good measure, and the guard wasted no time hot-footing it over to them.

"Yes miss?" He didn't know it, but Minako was sending out subtle tendrils of her power, and they were quickly beating down his better judgment.

"We've been in here an awful long time without anything to drink." She looked down for a moment, then gazed up at him through her long golden eyelashes. "Would a glass of water be too much trouble?"

"Of course, miss," he say quickly, and rushed off around the corner.

"Good work, Minako."

"Work it girl!"

Minako beamed. "It's nice to be appreciated."

"Ok, ladies," Ami piped up, "let's try not to kill this one, ok?" The last time they'd drenched a man and electrocuted him, he'd been dead before he hit the floor.

Makoto gave the doctor a thumbs-up. "Only half strength this time, I promise," she said seriously.

They all ignored a little pang of guilt when the guard was back promptly, and not only did he have four cups of water, he'd added some muffins to the tray he carried. _Don't get the muffins wet, Ami-chan,_ Usagi pleaded. She was practically drooling at the sight of food, she simply couldn't help herself. She shrugged when Ami gave her a reproachful look. "What, I'm hungry!" She hissed under her breath.

The girls worked quickly; one moment approaching the bars, and thanking the guard ecstatically for his kindness. The next moment, Ami had drenched him with all of the water, and their hair was standing on end as Makoto gathered her power. Lightning surged from her hands and into the guard, but she was very careful to control it so that he wouldn't wind up a smoking corpse.

Ami's hands moved in little patterns over the spilled water on the floor, and it drifted upward, sparkling rain falling backwards in slow motion. She coated the bars with it, and a blue light flashed from Ami's forehead as she froze the bars solid.

The symbol of Mercury stood out prominently on her forehead, then slowly faded. Using a large amount of power almost always revealed what they truly were; the children of the Silver Moon Faction. There were very few of them that were trained, despite the fact that almost every human in existence had at least a trace of planetary power. Usagi was a moonchild, and was the only one out of her group of friends that could sense those new and undeveloped powers, such as Rei's. Ami was a Mercury, Makoto a Jupiter, and Minako a Venus. All of their gifts were strong, as every one of them hailed from the Royal Houses of their planets.

Others could have embarked on this mission, rather than sending all of the princesses, but since the mission was of utmost important to Lady Serenity, Usagi's Mother and leader of the SMF, she had sent only the strongest of each inner house. She would have sent a soldier from the Royal House of Mars, but the only ones available were either too young, too old, or their powers so diluted that they could barely light a match without striking it.

Makoto gave the bars one of her signature karate kicks, shattering the metal all over the floor.

"Good work, ladies!" Usagi praised them. "Now, we need to get out of here quickly. Rei-chan is likely gone by now, and we need to track her down."

####

Quatre sighed, and wished Heero would quit pacing; the sound was really starting to drive him nuts. He didn't have the heart to say anything, however. While the other pilot hadn't shown a hint of any emotion at Rei's sacrifice back at the ball, Quatre knew he was worried sick about her.

Trowa came into the control room and gracefully sat in the chair next to Quatre. He was covered in soot and dirt, and he was clearly exhausted. "All of the Gundams are secure," he informed them, "and everyone from the base is accounted for. We have a few wounded, but nothing too serious." He fixed one green eye on Heero. "Any word from Rei?" He asked with concern.

Heero glared at him and resumed his pacing. "None."

"Well, there was a brief flicker on the radar about ten minutes ago, but it could have been one of the enemy mobile suits," Quatre admitted. "If I know Wufei, they've gone radio silent."

"We should go out and search for them," Heero said flatly.

Trowa shook his head. "Rei's a big girl, Heero. Going out's too risky right now, anyway, we'll likely give away our location if we do. Just wait a little longer, she'll call for help if she needs it."

####

"I thought this thing was _fast_," Wufei complained against Rei's shoulder.

"It is, but I can't exactly fly through the desert in the dark, without any lights on, you asshole. You wanna wreck and get stranded out here?" She felt him shake his head against her back. "I didn't think so." Rei cleared another sanddune, drawing closer to the burning Desert Base. She picked up her speed a little bit; the fire was bright enough for her to see where she was going.

"Aw, fuck," Rei swore, glancing in her mirror. "Chang, check our six."

Wufei glanced behind and swore in Chinese. "It's a Leo. Can you safely go faster?" He asked when it was clear that they'd been spotted.

"I'll try." She gunned the gas a little bit, and pushed the limits of her eyesight; going this fast, they ran a high risk of hitting a rock that Rei couldn't spot in the dim light. She hoped that the bike was too small to show up the Leo's radar, because if she couldn't outrun it or evade it, they had only a minimal chance of outfighting it with only pistols.

"Go left!" Wufei screamed in her ear, and held on for dear life when she veered the bike over. A missile went off to their right, sending sand flying through the air.

"Fuck me running!" Rei yelled. She shifted into fifth and pressed in harder on the gas, and they really took off. The chance of hitting something was suddenly negligible in the face of getting blown to Hell and back. The sound of gunfire came from behind, and she veered to the right this time. She heard a grunt from Wufei, but he was still clinging to her tightly, alternating between shielding his eyes against her back and keeping an eye on their tail. "You ok!"

"Fine!" He shouted back.

Rei could tell by something in his voice that he was anything but fine, and shifted into seventh gear. "Hold on!" She pressed a button to activate the MO drive, and simply tried to steer the bike in a straight line. Running this fast on sand was pushing the limits of her skill.

"Go!" Wufei shouted, "we're getting away!"

"How much further to the second base?"

"About five miles, we'll be there in a few minutes." He wanted to unclench a hand from around her waist to put pressure on his bleeding thigh, but he was afraid he'd fly off at such a high speed. He pointed at a dune that they were approaching, and was grateful when she slowed down and pulled right up to it.

Rei caught him when he tried to dismount from the bike, and immediately ripped off the bottom hem of her shirt to bind his leg. She stuck her fingers in the hole in his pants and tore it wide open to examine the wound. "Did it pass through?"

"No, it's still in there," he grunted, when she began tying the white cloth around his thigh, just tight enough to slow the flow of blood, but not enough to cut it off completely. "That's a pretty good field dressing," he complimented.

"Duo taught me," she replied absently. She accessed the radio on the bike and cut it on, praying that they really had outrun that Leo. If it was still within a few miles of them, it would pick up her transmission. "This is Az, does anyone copy?"

There was a hesitation as Quatre nearly fell out of his chair at the sound of her voice and scrambled for the mic. "This is Sandrock," he replied with excitement. "What's your twenty?"

"Open the doors," she answered dryly. "And hurry," she added, quickly losing the hint of humor in her voice. "Altron's been hit, and needs a medic."

Rei studied Wufei's pallor, worried by how quickly he was starting to turn gray. When his eyes started to flutter shut, she shook him roughly. "You stay with me, Wufei," she ordered. "Stay awake!" She grabbed her jacket out of the saddlebag, propped his feet up, and covered him with the leather.

A faint smile touched his lips. "Never knew you cared."

"Shut up," she said with a roll of her eyes. "If you fall asleep, you're going to _really_ see just how much I care." She pounded her fist into her open palm in a Duo-like gesture for emphasis. She looked up when a creak sounded from beneath, the sand. "Hold still," she ordered. She rolled him carefully, got her shoulder under him, and lifted him into a fireman's carry.

"You're strong," he grunted.

"You're light, and I work on a farm. I could carry you like this for a while. Just don't move, or I might drop you on your head."

"It might be an improvement," he said flatly.

"You always this damned hilarious when you're bleeding to death?" She snorted.

"_Only_ when I'm bleeding to death," he answered.

A door under the sand pushed the dune outwards, and Rei quickly entered. Duo greeted her, and as much as the filthy pilot wanted to hug his sister, he didn't want to throw her off balance while she was carrying a wounded man. Her brother, normally upbeat and ready to drop a joke at any moment, took one look at Wufei's leg and was all seriousness. "How long ago was he shot?"

"Ten minutes? Maybe longer. I bound it, but he's in and out of consciousness, and he's lost a lot of blood." She followed him to the control room, and shook her head when Trowa offered to take Wufei from her. "Thanks, but I got him. Get me to a stretcher," she ordered grimly. "We got a doctor?"

"He's in the infirmary, tending the wounded from the base," Quatre answered, moving in front of Duo to lead the way. "Mostly burns, a few cuts, but nothing too serious." He held the door open for her to pass through sideways, and Rei gently eased him onto the nearest empty bed and yelled for the doctor.

The little man came quickly, his bag in hand, and frowned the moment he removed Wufei's bindings. "It's going to be close to the artery," he said quietly, "and I don't have the tools here to remove the bullet safely." He looked up at the pilots and shook his head.

"Just do it, doc," Wufei gasped. "If we leave it, it'll get infected and I'll lose the leg."

"True enough, son, but I won't have your death on my head, either. We can take you to a hospital, but you'll be arrested the moment you're out of surgery." The doc hung his head and sighed. "I'm sorry, son. If I take it out, you'll likely bleed to death."

"I have an idea," Rei said quickly, hope lighting across her face. "Just be very quiet." She closed her eyes and focused, and screamed with every brain cell she had. _USAGI!_

_Rei-chan! Where are you? _She was there, in her head, but her voice was very faint. _We're still in Europe._

_Wufei is dying, I need you here now! _She shouted. _You said you could heal, right!_

Usagi went silent for a moment, then rushed right back into her head. _Open your eyes, and let me see where you are. _

Thinking that Usagi was going to do some sort of strange proxy-healing through Rei's hands, she did as she was told and stared at everything in front of her. She waved her hand at the guys when they all started asking her questions, and they shut up.

_Ok, I see. Have everyone take a few steps back. _Usagi waited as Rei relayed the message, then looked at the other princesses, who had joined hands with her. She hated that it was a result of Wufei being wounded, but she loved it when she got her way; and right now she was giving Ami a smug I-told-you-so smirk. They were going to have to teleport after all, despite the doctor's protests that it be used for emergencies only. Well, this was a real fucking emergency. "Focus on me, girls. I'll lead us there."

All of them closed their eyes, and the three of them focused on Usagi, who in turn focused on Rei. The power flowed between the four princesses and surrounded them. They floated for several seconds, their hair trailing up above their heads, and then they were suddenly gone.

Rei and the others were knocked to the floor from the blast of power when Usagi and her friends suddenly appeared in the space they'd backed away from, all still dressed in their ball gowns. She quickly scrambled to her feet, and grabbed Usagi by the arm. "Hurry," she urged, not bothering to let Usagi explain anything to the pilots or the doctor. "Can you heal him?"

Usagi laid her hands over the wound in Wufei's leg and nodded. "He's lost a lot of blood, though. Ami-chan?" She asked the blue-haired doctor.

Ami immediately helped the doctor to his feet, and started barking orders. "I need three pints of whole blood, type O negative. O positive if you don't have the other."

"I'm B positive," Wufei said weakly, fighting a wave of sleepiness. His eyes fluttered shut again, but opened when Rei dutifully shook him.

"Don't you dare die on me now that I've found you some help," she growled, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Who else is type B or O?" She asked, her head snapping up to look at everyone.

Makoto and Minako both nodded. "I'm O," Makoto told her. "Mina's type B. Usagi's also type O, but she's a little busy right now."

Rei looked at her brother. "I know damn well you're B positive."

Duo grinned and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. "Don't worry, baby sister, I won't let the Wu-man go without." He leaned down to Wufei. "Just think, Wu-man, you'll have an entire pint of _me_ cruising around in your veins!" He said with an evil laugh. He didn't wait for Wufei to refuse his blood, as he knew he would. He went straight over to a nurse who was taking donations, rolling up his sleeve, and let her go to work. Quatre, being type O, followed the pilot of the Hell.

"Don't let them give me Duo's blood," Wufei groaned.

"You'll survive with the Duo-Juice in you," Rei said lightly, and patted his hand. She looked over to Usagi, just as a bullet eased from Wufei's skin. She nodded approvingly, noting that Wufei had barely made a sound during the whole process. "You can heal him up now, right?"

Usagi nodded, unable to look away from her work for one moment. "If you had removed this bullet, you would have hit the artery," she said seriously. "You were right to call for me." She focused on the wound, and concentrated on closing it up. "This is going to itch, but I need you to hold still," she warned her patient.

A few minutes later, Usagi was finished, and visibly exhausted. Rei made sure she was the first of them served with food and drink, and found her a comfortable place to sit. Duo was the first one of them finished with donating, and his blood was the first pint hooked up to Wufei's IV. "You're going to be feeling better in no time, Wu-man," Duo said with a grin. He only laughed when Wufei shuddered at the thought of Duo now being a physical part of him.

"I hope my immune system sees you as a threat and destroys all your blood cells," he grumbled.

"Not a chance, Wu-man, my blood's equipped with a cloaking device, just like my Gundam." Duo rushed off to hug his sister and annoy her for a bit, but found her with Heero. He cleared his throat loudly.

Rei blushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger, and shot a perturbed look at her brother. "Do you mind?" She asked. Her lover had her pressed up against the wall, and she _had_ been enjoying his heated kisses until she'd been rudely interrupted.

Heero just glared at Rei's brother. "What?" He asked flatly, keeping any emotion out of his voice.

Duo shrugged. "I just wanted to hug my baby sister and tell her that I'm relieved she's alright," he answered glumly. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on the heels of his shoes. "You did a good job, baby sister."

Rei separately from Heero gently, and took her brother in her arms. "Thank you," she said, and pecked him on the cheek. "And I love you." She gave him a tiny smile. "But you have the worst timing." She knew he wasn't mad at her when he winked and grinned, no longer the model of a petulant little boy.

"Alright, I'll go away," he said with an overly dramatic roll of his eyes. "I'm going to see if a certain blonde needs anything from me." His grin got impossibly wider. "Chicks like it when a man's always offering to help them. Well… except _you_."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Usagi took an enormous bite of a muffin that Duo had set in front of her, and chugged some milk. She'd woken up ravenous as a result of using a good bit of power on Wufei's wound the night before. She'd healed much worse in the past, though, so at least she wasn't going to be asleep for half the day.

"Usagi-chan," Ami said with concern, "aren't you going to get sick if you eat that fast?"

"Nhope, off cffourse fffnotfff, Affmi-fan. It'ff goof, wan fome?" Little crumbs sprayed into the air as she replied with her mouth full. She chugged some milk and beamed at the doctor before tearing into the muffin again like a lion on a wildebeest.

Minako burst out laughing. "You better hope Duo doesn't come back in here and see you eating like that, Usa! You look like a chipmunk with nuts stuffed in its cheeks!"

Ami snickered, and took a sip of her tea. "I was thinking something similar," she admitted. "She _does_ looks like a squirrel storing food in its cheeks."

Makoto and Minako fell over in their seats laughing. "Ami-chan!" They both yelled at once.

"I would never expect a comment like that from you, Ami!" Minako yelled with hysterically.

"I thought she looked more like a gerbil on Prozac!" Makoto pealed out. Though she wasn't exactly sure what a gerbil on Prozac would look like, it sounded good at the time.

Ami couldn't control the giggle fit that took over when Usagi's face grew red in anger from the teasing. "Now she looks like a sunburnt squirrel!" Ami yelled, and all three of the laughing princesses were holding their sides, unable to control their laughter. Minako was in tears at this point, and Makoto had fallen out of her seat and was on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Hey guffs, thaff's nof funnyf!" Usagi yelled, spitting out more crumbs. A bit of drool ran down her chin, and she hastily wiped it away.

This only caused more hysterics. "She's DROOLING! Usa-chan has rabies!" Makoto screamed.

"Who has rabies?" A male voice asked from behind us.

The laughter was immediately silenced, and they all turned to see Rei's brother standing behind them. He took a look around the table, and when his gaze landed on Usagi, and he quickly covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. Her face was red, her cheeks were still huge from the rest of the muffin, which she'd stuffed into her mouth, and another little drop of drool was trickling slowly down her chin. Duo held out for a whole five seconds before he spoke. "You lo-look like a ra-rabid _sunburnt hamster_!" He cackled, and everyone at the table immediately lost their composure again.

Usagi got up in a huff, storming off to the bathroom. Her pigtails floated behind her as she made her escape, but none of them could stop her, they were all just laughing too hard. As much as they loved her like a sister, sometimes she lacked so much class that they couldn't help themselves.

#############

"Usa did an excellent job on your leg," Rei said with approval. There was only a neat, pink scar where the bullet had entered Wufei's thigh, and while it looked only freshly healed, it wasn't causing him any pain.

"She did," Wufei said with a nod.

"How's the Duo-Juice treating you?" She asked with a wry grin.

"Shut _up_," Wufei said bluntly. "If Duo comes in here one more time and makes a crack about it, I'm going to beat him senseless."

Rei moved to his left arm. "Hold still, I'm gonna D/C this IV." She went about disconnecting everything, and finally removed the needle from his arm. She disposed of it in a sharps container after putting a Band-Aid over his wrist. She took by the hand, and helped him sit up on the side of the bed. "Any lightheadedness?"

"I think I'm fine." He patted her shoulder. "I don't think I thanked you for last night… so, thank you," he said with a shrug. "You probably saved my life."

"You would've done the same for me," she said quickly, embarrassed by his gratitude. "Stand up," she ordered, changing the subject. She crossed her arms over her chest as he stood, then walked a few feet. "Let me know if you get dizzy. You took two pints of blood, but I don't know if it was enough."

Wufei felt perfectly fine, and told her so. "Any chance at some clothes that aren't destroyed?"

Rei nodded. "Come on, and I'll even dig you up some breakfast."

###########

Rei smiled tiredly at Heero when he set a cup of coffee and a plate of food in front of her, and gave him a slow kiss on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, but it lasted more than just a few seconds. She tired from the night before, after Duo had left them alone, they hadn't done a lot of sleeping, and she'd discovered that make-up sex was totally worth the stress of the argument.

"Feel like taking a nap later?" He whispered in her ear.

"Only if it involves actual sleep," she chuckled. "Shoo, go eat something," she chided him.

He looked down pointedly at the juncture of her thighs. "If you insist."

Rei's jaw dropped, and she was speechless for a moment. Then she smacked his arm playfully. "Fresh," she snorted. "That's for dessert, you asshole." She blushed when she looked up and realized that everyone at the table seemed immensely entertained by their exchange. Her country came out at the mortification of having their conversation overheard. "Oh, yall mind your damn business," she snapped, but not without humor.

"No, Rei-chan," Makoto said with an evil grin. "By all means, please continue!" She gave Quatre a wink across the table, and was pleased when the blonde blushed a little at her.

Rei rolled her eyes and gave them all the finger, and dug into the plate Heero had set before her. She chugged the coffee, and when her plate was clean, she finally spoke. "Ok, ladies, I want to hear the story," she said mildly. "All of it."

Usagi nodded a bit, and leaned forward on her elbows. "Yeah, I suppose we owe you all and explanation," she said with a tiny shrug. We represent a small resistance fighting against OZ, called the Silver Moon Faction. The SMF was formed by my mother, Lady Serenity. Members of the SMF consist mainly of people gifted with the power of…" She screwed up her face, blinked, and stared blankly at Ami. "What's the word in English, Ami-chan?"

"What? I swear, Usa-chan, as little as you pay attention in English class, I'm amazed you speak a word of the language. You should be devoting more time to your studies, and a lot less to those video games and comic books. You could at least be developing your powers in your spare time if you insist on ignoring your school work."

Usagi gave Ami a hateful little stare. "I asked for a translation, Ami-sensei, not a lecture. If I want a lesson, I'll go ask Chigusa-sensei."

Ami sighed and shook her head. Yet another attempt at trying to get through to Usagi about her studies had crashed and burned. "Magic," she grumbled. "Elemental powers. Whatever you want to call it."

Makoto picked up the story, deciding diplomatically to keep Usagi from getting chewed out again. "Lady Serenity sent us assassinate Hyler. Ami hacked the Neo OZ database and retrieved all the info we needed. We're a neutral nation, officially, and we almost never get actively involved in this sort of thing, but Usa's mother sensed something coming from that man—"

"Dark Kingdom," Minako interjected with a shiver, and subconsciously leaned towards Trowa's warmth. She suddenly felt very cold thinking of the Dark Kingdom.

Rei suppressed a smile when the Heavyarms pilot yawned and stretched, and put a comforting arm around the blonde girls' shoulders. What a ham. "She felt something?" She asked. She wasn't one to doubt premonitions, but coming from someone else than her made her feel a little skeptical.

Ami took up the explanation this time. "Usa-chan's family line comes from an ancient kingdom, way back before humans even existed on Earth.

Rei gave her a patient look. Aliens? That was sure as hell when Usa was implying. This story was getting harder to swallow by the minute. "If humans didn't exist on this planet, where did Serenity's family come from?"

Usagi smiled. "My family comes from the moon. Ami's family is from Mercury, Mako's from Jupiter, and Mina's from Venus." She looked directly at Rei, and bowed her head in respect. "Your family hails from Mars, Rei-chan. Your power is very potent, I can sense it, and power that strong can only come from someone who is descended from the royal line of their planet, just like us."

Rei leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs, unknowingly sitting the same position as her brother. She frowned deeply before looking back at Usagi. "I know I saw the thing in the bathroom sink, but this is an awful lot to take in.

Minako nodded understandingly, and continued the explanation of their origins. "Anyway, Earth was settled by people from other planets, eons ago, when the goddess Selene ruled the moon. When the Dark Kingdom came along, it destroyed the kingdoms of the other planets; with the exception of the Earth. The kingdoms made a last stand here, and won. Therefore, almost everyone on this planet has some sort of special power, depending upon which planet their ancestors emigrated from."

"What about crossbreeding?" Quatre asked. Since his sisters were all test-tube babies, genetics had always been a particular interest to him.

"Crossbreeding results in a crossing of powers," Ami chipped in, always the well of useless information. "If a Mercury and a Mars would crossbreed, there would be a good chance that the person would have _no_powers at all, since their elements conflict with each other. Rarely, the child will have the powers of both parents. If a Neptune and a Mercury did the same, however, the resulting child would almost definitely retain the powers of both parents. Water and ice, and a talent for music and learning."

"So... there are powers for each corresponding planet?" Trowa asked pointedly.

"Yes," Makoto replied. Mercury has ice; Venus, earth and love; Moon, telepathy, healing, and sometimes telekinetics; Mars, fire and animals; Jupiter... that's mine by the way... electricity and some control over plants and the wind; Saturn, healing, destruction, and very strong telekinetics; Neptune, water; Uranus, air and fighting."

"You left one out," Rei said.

"Pluto!" Usagi asked in a surprised tone. She snorted. "It's unheard of. No one's ever heard of a Pluto even existing since my mother was a child."

"Yeah, but just out of curiosity, what does a Pluto do?" Duo's sister asked.

"Plutos defy nature in the greatest way, even more-so than a Saturn. Plutos defy time. They can control it; go forward, backward, whatever they want, and they can live indefinitely. Contrary to what Usa-chan thinks, there _is _one Pluto in existence, but she is guarding the Gates of Time from anyone who would tamper with it." Ami answered.

"So, if I may ask... what are we?" Wufei questioned.

Usagi shrugged. "It couldn't hurt to find out, I suppose. Ami-chan?"

Heero eyed the computer that Ami pulled from her purse. He would have to take a look at that later, in private.

Usagi closed her eyes and reached out with her powers, focusing on the people in the room. She pointed to a corner. "That's the strongest power in this room, besides Rei."

Zechs stepped out from the corner, where he had been listening quietly. "Really?" He asked with a smirk. "Please, enlighten me."

Ami stepped forward with her computer. "Alright... let's see..."

"No need, Miss Ami. The Peacecrafts can trace their roots all the way back to two ancient kingdoms. The story you've told is one that I'm very familiar with; my mother and father would tell it to me regularly when I was a child. One of my ancestors on my father's side was from Pluto…"

Jaws hit the floor all around the room, and ten pairs of eyes turned to stare at the Lightning Baron.

"...the other from Saturn," he continued. My mother was a descendant of the Moon's royal family." He smiled at Usagi. "I'm pleased to meet you, cousin."

"Sir, if what you claim is true… no offense, but I would really like to scan you, if I may," Ami said slowly.

"No offense taken, Dr. Mizuno. I completely understand," The Epyon pilot consented.

She clicked a few buttons, and held her hand to her chest, sighing.

All of the girls except for Rei looked at her anxiously. "It's... not what I think it may be... is it Ami-chan?" Usagi asked in a quiet whisper.


	19. Chapter 19

**Nerf, dude, just kick his fucking ass and gank your shit back. It's not that HARD! WAIT TIL HE'S ASLEEP! GOD! Am I the only woman that's crazy enough to steal her shit back from an asshole ex!**

**RoM, I totally feel your pain. I wrote the last several chapters of BDC one-handed; I was nursing Jason Allen while I did it. Thank yall for yall reviews, I totally appreciate it!**

**Quick story. Wanted to post this chapter this morning, was set to finish it and everything. So, I go into the kitchen to mix an energy drink to get my day started, turn around, and there is a FUCKING SNAKE SIX INCHES FROM MY FOOT. I'm on the phone with my friend Shelby, and she goes deaf because I scream like a woman about to get raped. I mean, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! High pitched and shit, screaming like I haven't screamed since I was a toddler. Apparently I scared the poor bastard, cause he starts running, I'm freaking out because he's brown, and brown=copperhead (a poisonous viper) down here. Then I notice it's got legs. So, in the span of about 5 seconds I go from screaming my head off and deafening my best friend, straight to laughing hysterically because I realize it's a male broadnose skink. I'm retarded. So, I try to catch the bastard, but he runs into about 7 loads of clean laundry and I can't reach in, because those little fuckers BITE. SOMEHOW I get it to run into the dryer, where I slam the door shut. Now I'm at a dilemma. I have a lizard that bites in my dryer, and no way to get it out, and a load in the wash that needs to be switched over. I called five or six people after Shelby had no clue what to do… she wanted me to reach in a grab it when I couldn't find a pair of gloves… yeah, RIGHT. Shel's fucking psycho anyways. Finally, my dad returns my call, and gets that tone that he gets when he feels like he's speaking to a small, slightly retarded child. "Ugh, I'm in meetings, Mick. Just turn on the dryer, it'll die without making a mess." I confirm this with another close guy-friend and do it. Get on the phone with my sister, and tell her the story, and when she's FINALLY done laughing hysterically at my girliness, she sticks with me on phone when I check the dryer; I'm trying not to freak out at this point, because I just KNOW on some primal level that the little bastard flew out of the dryer just before I shut it, and it's suddenly going to fly out of the clothes pile like "HIIIIISSSSS! MOTHERFUCKER, I'M GONNA EAT YOUR FACE!" Me being me, I talk to myself when I'm terrified, like when I'm playing Fatal Frame or watching other peoples' children (joke), so my sister is just in fucking stitches, calling me in all manner of names, a pussy, and waiting for me to get my face eaten by a pissed-off attack-lizard. I removed some clothes from the dryer carefully, and about jumped out my shit when it was lying there in the dryer… til I realized it was dead. Now I'm waiting for my husband to remove it for me. So, there's my morning! Well, part of it, anyways, I also have the youngest one sick, and he had diarrhea up to his shoulder blades this morning, but that's just a NORMAL morning in this household. Hope yall enjoyed it! On with the fic, lol!**

Revised May 15-16, 2012

Chapter Nineteen

Ami ran the program one more time, just to make sure it was correct. She gave Zechs a pleased smile once she was sure he didn't have an traces of his Plutonian lineage. "Just a Saturn with a little bit of tweaking."

"Tweaking?" Zechs asked curiously.

"Well…" Ami scratched her head. "…it appears that you possess very potent healing powers and the telekinetic properties of Saturn. But you lack any of all of the destructive qualities. It's a bit curious, is all. It seems you have the potential to develop telepathy as strong as Usagi's, with some practice. Let me guess, you're wildly intuitive during fights? You know where your opponent will be, sometimes before he's even hinted that he's going to move?"

Zechs nodded. "It's one of the few reasons I'm still alive, Miss."

Usagi smiled. "It's because you're telepathic. You were subconsciously reading their thoughts without even knowing it. That's how it started for me, anyway. Mother found it extremely entertaining when I would spit out secrets at court about people around us, when there was no possible way I could have known them. I just knew, without knowing why or how. Mother will be pleased to know that there's a male royal to help continue the line, cousin."

"Do you have any siblings, Zechs-san? We should check them as well," Makoto said.

"Just that bitch, Relena," Rei muttered bitterly. Heero squeezed her shoulder, and she laid her hand over his. "Sorry, Heero," she mumbled, "I just hate that bitch."

"Rei…? This may seem like an odd question, but do you ever feel hot when you're extremely emotional? Anger would usually bring on the sensation," Ami said.

She shrugged. "Yeah, but it's always been that way, why?"

Minako grinned. "Just be glad you haven't inadvertently set anything on fire in a fit of anger. It's the fire trying to come out of you. You should have seen Makoto the last time she got dumped; it stormed for three days, and the lightning was ridiculous."

Makoto discreetly gave Minako the finger, but noticed the way Quatre perked up with interest at the fact that she was single.

"Wow," Rei commented, as an interesting thought occurred to her. "I'll bet that's a major deterrent to the men, huh? Or do they have really strong powers that counter yall's?"

Ami shrugged. "It only seems to be a deterrent to Mako-chan, honestly, and it's only because she can't control her temper." She smiled knowingly at the brunette. "Remember, Mako, ice doesn't conduct electricity; you're only going to electrocute everyone else in the room," she reminded her smugly.

Makoto quickly lowered the hand she'd just raised to zap her friend. "Shut up, Ami," she huffed.

Zechs cleared his throat. "Ami-san, you wanted to see my sister? She's down the hall with my wife; I'll show you the way."

Ami nodded quickly, and followed him to the room.

The newest royal of the moon kingdom gave his sister an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Relena, I'd like you to meet Dr. Mizuno Ami."

Ami curtsied quickly; while she knew that Relena Peacecraft was the former Queen of the World, it didn't quite hit home for her until she saw her face. "Queen—"

Relena shook her head and frowned. "No, please don't. I'm no longer the queen. What can I help you with?"

Ami blushed, and quickly stood up straight. "Sorry, Relena-san. I just wanted to test you for something, just to be sure you don't have a—" For once, her intelligent brain couldn't find the right word.

"You remember our lineage, sister? Miss Mizuno simply wants to make sure our Plutonian ancestry has remained dormant. Is that alright, Relena?" Zechs asked, waiting for his sister to shoot down his suggestion.

Relena perked up and studied the blue-haired doctor carefully. "How do you know about our family history?" She asked curiously. She hid a frown from everyone in the room; whose business was her bloodline other than hers and her brother's?

Ami let her power surface just enough to reveal the symbol of Mercury on her forehead. Blue light pulsed throughout the room, and she suppressed her powers once more to make the symbol disappear.

Relena laughed, but inside she was furious. They'd managed to go years without being detected, and now these newcomers had outed them? "You're an envoy from Mercury; are the rest of your friends also from there?"

Ami quickly shook her head. "No, Relena-san. We are representatives of the Silver Moon Faction. Each of us hails from a different Inner planet, all but Mars." She couldn't help but grin just a little at her recent discovery. "As it turns out, your resident female pilot is a Mars from the royal line. She's got a ton of potential." The genius saw a flicker of pain and fury in Relena's eyes just before the other woman smiled sunnily.

"Well, that's wonderful. I'm sure she'll be an asset to your people." _Maybe she'll go with them and leave Heero here with me._

"I think Rei is a pilot first, then a Mars second," Ami replied, confident that Rei would always reply on the skills she learnt as a child before calling on her powers. She aimed her computer at Relena, and pressed a few keys. "Let me see." Ami truly expected to see a crescent moon display on her screen, but found her eyes widening in astonishment. She read through all of the data quickly, and snapped her computer shut in a hurry.

"Well?" Zechs asked.

"Um… well, it's the strangest thing I've ever seen, you being a pacifist leader and all… you have no powers from the moon at all. None from Pluto, either, thank Kami-sama," she added quickly, "but you have a very strong resonance with Saturn. Your powers are simply pure, raw, destruction, and not much else. If you were to develop these powers like I've done with mine, the possibilities would be endless."

"So, that means… telekinesis and explosions?" Relena smiled, and it was a genuine smile; she didn't have to mask her emotions at all this time. "You're correct, it's quite the contradiction, considering my background."

"Yes, quite," Ami agreed. She glanced behind Relena to the woman with short purple hair. "You're Zech's wife?"

She stuck her hand out to shake. "Lucrezia Merquise. You may call me Noin, everyone else does. It was my maiden name, but it seems to have stuck."

Ami shook with her, likely this woman immediately. "May I check you as well?"

Noin shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "Sure, go for it."

Ami opened her computer again and typed furiously fast as usual, then quirked a brow in confusion. "Huh, that's really strange, my computer has never malfunctioned. There are two readouts, rather than one." She ran a diagnostic on the device, checking for any possible viruses or glitches, then aimed it at Noin again, only to get the same results. Unsure what was going on, she let the readings continue to process, rather than cancelling them and starting over. Ami's eyes widened in alarm, and he turned her head in Usagi's direction out of reflex. _Usa-chan!_

_What! _She asked. Apparently she was focused on something important.

_We've got a Pluto! _She blurted, unable to control the thought from leaving her mind.

"**What!"** Usagi screamed so loudly that Ami could hear her from down the hall. She came running immediately, her skirt billowing behind her like it did whenever she was late for class.

Zechs gave her a suspicious look. "What happened?" He asked. He moved to Noin, placing himself protectively between her and Ami.

Ami looked at him gravely. "Usa's telepathic," she said, even though he already knew that. "I was telling her about the findings," she squeaked, avoiding the answer to his question.

"Like what?" Zechs glared at her, and stepped towards her intimidatingly. "You'd better not be keeping anything from me, little girl. That's a very dangerous habit to have."

Ami looked down at her minicomputer, then back up at him, and attempted a watery smile. If anything, I have some good news," she offered, hoping to diffuse the situation. She turned her gaze to Noin. "You're going to have a child; a little girl."

While Zechs was overjoyed by the news, he stood his ground. He knew her tone all too well; there was going to be another side to the coin. "And what's the bad news."

Ami didn't hesitate. "She's going to be a Pluto," she answered stiffly.

Noin gaped at Ami, her hand moving to rest against her flat stomach in a protective gesture. "What does that mean? Will there be something wrong with our daughter?"

"I don't know what else to tell you, the computer is never wrong, and the baby's readout says that she will possess timebending abilities. Physically, she'll be fine. But her powers… we can't allow someone to bend time and space."

"You have no say in this, girl. This is my daughter, not yours. I will never allow an abortion," Zechs snapped at her, his fists clenching in an effort to keep from turning this argument into a physical altercation.

"Cousin, Ami-chan never said anything about an abortion; stop jumping to conclusions," Usagi said firmly from the doorway. She shrugged helplessly. "While this is a serious matter, and will have to be brought before my mother, your child will be just fine. She just won't be allowed to develop her powers. At _all_. In fact, it would be better if she didn't even learn about her lineage, just to keep her away from the temptation of trying to use them. We just can't allow someone to take joyrides throughout history."

Zechs nodded in relief. These were terms he could easily agree to, if it came down to it. "Thank you, Usagi, for explaining." He left the room quickly to get himself under control, unable to take joy in his soon-to-be-fatherhood until he could get his head straight.

"Noin," Ami began apologetically, "just for the record, you're a Mercury, just like me, but with a quirk. One of your ancestors must have been a Uranus, just like Mako-chan. You also have some power over wind."

She gave Ami a very smug smile. "That's quite obvious," she answered, and looked pointedly out the door to where her husband had made his exit.

################

Rei tried wiping some grease from her hands onto her jeans, and only succeeded in getting her hands even dirtier. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but get a stupid grin on her face despite it all. She was working with Howard again, and on her brother's Gundam, too. This took her back to when she was young, eager to help, and always more than willing to get dirty. In fact, she still was.

They'd all travelled to her base two days ago, and everyone was adjusting pretty well. She had the girls staying one side of the house, and the boys on the other… all except Heero, of course. He shared her bed, and they aimed to keep it that way. Some of the girls had trouble getting up early in the morning for chores, so she'd set out a schedule to accommodate everyone's sleeping schedules. The early risers took care of the livestock, while the late risers took care of cleaning the stalls, and the housework, and any chores that could wait until later in the day.

Her neighbor, Jessica, had hired some hands to help keep her farm while she'd been away, and while she understood the necessity, she didn't have the money to pay them. Thank God for Quatre, she'd been about to drive to a bank to borrow money when he'd pulled out a check book and taken care of everything. She'd tried to protest, of course, but Quatre had shot her a look that said he'd totally beat her ass (or at least try, until Duo or Heero got to him) if she didn't let him pay the hired hands. Rei knew that look all too well, it was one that both her brother and her lover had given her several times, and it wasn't a look she'd argue with.

"Almost done with that oil change, Rei?" Howard called from the other side.

"Yeah, just taking a smoke break." She pulled a cigarette pack out of her pocket and stuck one in her mouth; she'd quit since getting shot by Wufei, but old habits died hard, and she'd found a pack sitting on her kitchen table, waiting for her right where she'd left them. Fuck it, it wasn't like she was a heavy smoker, anyways. She lit up and blew gray smoke into the air, and took a seat on Hell's giant foot.

"Hey, you're getting oil on my Gundam!" Duo yelled at her as he approached.

Rei snorted and took another drag of her smoke. "Well, it got oil all over me," she sniffed primly. "Payback's a bitch."

Howard came around at the sound of the commotion and stared at the two of them. "Wow, Rei, you sure grew up pretty, but if you weren't smoking that cigarette, I wouldn't be able to tell you two apart."

They both shrugged at the man in the Hawaiian shirt. "It's the braid," they both replied. They looked at each other and both of them stuck out their tongues. "Shut up," they told each other. Then they both rolled their eyes and huffed.

"Nah, it's more than the braid, I fear," Howard laughed, and went back to his work.

Rei crushed her smoke and went back to work. She was almost done anyway; she might as well finish it quickly and get on to the next chore. She put in the new oil filter, stuck everything back in where it was supposed to go, and then proceeded to begin the arduous task of refilling Deathscythe Hell with twenty gallons of oil. She noticed her brother's stupid grin. "You want me to pour this gallon on your head, or are you going to help me?" She snapped.

"I was just reflecting on how nice it is to have a woman to work on my vehicle for me," he chuckled.

She smacked him in the back of the head, and was pleased to see she'd gotten grime all over his braid. "Shut up and help me pour, Duo."

"Yosh, Rei-chan! You're filthy!" Usagi wrinkled her nose. While she didn't mind doing some chores to help her friend out, she hated getting absolutely, disgustingly dirty. That was something that Mako-chan was more into, and she gladly let Makoto take the nastier chores around the house. Usagi would stick to doing the dishes, and if anyone dared to tell her that doing dishes for fourteen or fifteen people was _light_ work, she'd smack them with a dirty frying pan.

"Of course I'm filthy, Usa, it's not like I'm changing the oil on a fucking car. That usually only requires a gallon of oil, give or take," she answered, not even looking away from the task at hand. She and Duo were nearly finished; they were on the last four gallons. "I'm just grateful the Hell didn't need the transmission serviced."

"Why didn't Duo do it? Isn't it his Gundam?"

Rei snorted. "Duo wanted to look _pretty_ for you," she said in a frivolous tone.

Usagi blushed. While she didn't like getting herself dirty, there was actually something very attractive about seeing a man all covered in filth and sweat. She looked up at Rei; if her friend was a man, Usagi had to admit that she would be out of her mind in love with Rei right then. In fact, she did look an awful lot like Duo; if she focused only on the face, caked with oil and dirt, her heart fluttered. "Actually," she chimed, "I don't like pretty guys."

Duo's head snapped up. "Huh?"

Usagi gave a shy little shrug, and refused to look him in the eye. "Sorry, no offense, Duo-san."

Rei's brother grumbled a few choice things about changing his own damned oil from then on, and slyly made sure to get a little oil on his hands when Usagi's eyes were turned elsewhere. He ignored his sister when she grinned at him knowingly. "Shut up, Rei," he growled quietly.

"Hey, not a word from me," she said, as she emptied the last gallon into the mobile suit. "You're the one that just got burned, pretty boy." She jumped down to the ground and tried to wipe her hands clean on the nasty rag in her back pocket. "So, what's up? Is there something I can help with?"

"Oh no, Rei, you've done so much taking us all in like this. In fact, I almost hate to have to ask you a favor."

"Which is?"

"Well, you see, the girls and I can travel very quickly by joining our powers and teleporting. But we can only do it every so often with just the four of us. If we had a fifth, we could go home and report to Mother right away, and come straight back afterwards."

Makoto jogged up and rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me that you're _just_ asking her," she sighed.

"I was busy," Rei said quickly, defending the moon princess.

Makoto quickly looked her over and nodded. "Quatre said you would be doing some work on the Hell today. I told him I'd be happy to help with anything he needed to do on the Sandrock." She smiled a little at the mention of Quatre. He was so shy around girls… or at least he seemed that way. He'd really surprised her that morning when he'd stolen a kiss out in the barn. They'd been sitting beside each other, milking the cows like Rei had taught them; in fact, they were the only two allowed near the cows besides Rei herself. One moment they'd been talking about cooking, something that Mako truly loved to do, and the next moment, he was kissing her heatedly. As far as first kisses went, it was the best she'd ever had, and she couldn't wait to find a private place to sneak a few more.

Rei nodded at the brunette. "I'll do it, I guess, but I'd like to shower and change first, if that's ok."

Usagi's chuckled. "You'd better, Rei-chan, if you're going to meet Mother."

The pilot shrugged and trudged off to the house, and removed her boots so as not to track all over the house. Once she was in her bathroom, she shrugged out of her overalls and workshirt, and climbed into the blissfully hot water. She managed to get all of the dirt off after some vigorous scrubbing, and was finally getting down to washing her hair when a large and calloused hand grabbed her breast. Rei let out an ear-piercing shriek, and swung blindly at the intruder. "PERVERT!" Her punch was blocked expertly, and soap be damned, she cracked open her eyes so she could see what direction to aim her next blow. "Oh, you bastard!" She shouted at Heero, and gave him a shove.

Prussian blue eyes danced with laughter when she jerked the shower curtain back into place and continued to curse his name while she rinsed her hair. When she finally drew it back, his amusement had only grown, and he didn't mind letting it show since he knew it would only rile her. He liked it when she was riled.

"What in the hell? Don't you ever knock!" She shouted! When he looked her up and down, she grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped it around herself. "What!"

Heero just shrugged and smile. "Enjoying the view, is all. I'd like to enjoy more than that, if you've got some time."

The corner of her mouth lifted just a tad. "I'd love to, but I'm on my way out with the girls," she said regrettably. "They need my help to get to Okinawa."

"Why don't they have one of the guys fly them? I know Wufei would be chomping at the bit for some more time with the doctor."

Rei stepped out of the shower into his arms and grinned sheepishly. "Does yon maid have the Wu-man vexed?"

"Oh, _most_ vexed," Heero replied. "Wufei bitches a lot sometimes, but I've never heard him bitch about a girl. It seems she's been avoiding him at every turn."

She looked down when she felt something poking her. "Seems I have you vexed as well." She pulled away from him and grabbed another towel to dry her hair. "Too bad you're gonna have to stay that way for a little while." She flashed a genuine smile his way while she toweled her hair. "Tell Chang that that's just Ami's way; Minako told me that she does that whenever she likes a boy. It's a good thing that she's avoiding him. If she wasn't, it would mean she wasn't interested."

"Ah. The wisdom and insanity of women." Heero shook his head. "Makes me very happy to have a dick sometimes."

Rei snorted. "I wouldn't want one for all the gold in the world. My period makes me retarded for a few days out of the month. Having a cock makes you potentially retarded all the time."

Heero burst out laughing so hard that Rei looked at him in concern. "You ok? It… it wasn't a joke." She fluffed her hair with one hand in puzzlement.

"That's why it's funny!" He howled, and kissed her fully on the lips.

############

Rei got dressed in a hurry in the nicest non-formal clothes she owned, and found the ladies waiting for her in the yard. She'd found a little time to un-vex Heero before putting on that red sundress, however, and was feeling pretty lighthearted at the moment. "Yall ready?" She hollered across the lawn.

Minako waved and smiled. "Ready to go! Just waiting on you, girl!"

"Stand in a circle with us, Rei-chan," Ami instructed. She waited for her to do as she was told. "Now, join hands."

"Just concentrate on me," Usagi said seriously, and closed her eyes. "Don't imagine a destination, just rely on where I'm going, ok? Close your eyes."

"Ok," Rei said slowly, and closed her eyes. She focused on Usagi, where she wanted to go, and the need to go there with her. She saw a bright flash of light behind her eyes, and when she opened them, she was no longer home.

**Hope yall enjoyed it! Please review if you get time, I'm making a point of adding more of the other girls' relationships with the pilots, so that the story is more well-rounded.**


	20. Chapter 20

**ROF: Thanks for your review! My husband got a HUGE laugh out of the story, too. And the line about cocks making men retarded, I stole that from someone a long time ago, and it's still just as true and funny today as it was then. **

**Topaz: Yeah, Heero and Rei would be the momma and the daddy, they're both the most assertive of the group, I think. :)**

**Update on the lizard thingy: So, my husband, while thinking that the whole thing was immensely entertaining, told me, "Fuck no! I ain't getting that thing out of the dryer! You put it in there, and you can clean it up!" Yeah, like I actually PUT it in there… it ran in there, and for a lack of a better solution, I shut the dryer door. So, I finally found a glove, opened the dryer while he watched the kids, and scooped out the carcass, which was all desiccated and shit from the dryer running at what I figure is about 150 degrees, I guess. I notice something odd… there's a bloody spot on its bottom! The tail is gone! And then I remember a fun fact about skinks: they drop their tails when they feel like they're in danger, as a defense mechanism. So, the poor little bastard is spinning around in circles, and is probably like, "WHAT THE FUCK! HAMSTER WHEEL!" And he drops his tail. So I throw the body out to the cats, and start shaking out the clothes that were in there with it. NO TAIL. Yeah, so now I have to find the damned tail. I hope it didn't get sucked up in the lint trap… I'm almost afraid to check, but I have to find it or I'm gonna start smelling it in a couple days… ew.**

Chapter Twenty

When Rei opened her eyes, she was stunned into silence by the beauty that surrounded her. Marble pillars stood all around them in a courtyard which led to a palace, also made entirely out of marble. A fountain shot crystal clear water into the air just to her right, and it even looked like there were little golden fish in the alabaster basin. "Wow," she gasped, once she finally found her voice.

"This is home," Usagi said with a little sigh. She missed it when she was away, and while she was glad to be there, she knew she was about to get chewed out. I'd better go and report to Mother. The girls will show you around."

Makoto looked expectantly to Usagi. "Should we meet you in the throne room in about an hour?" She asked.

"Yeah, that should be plenty of time for my mother to yell at me." She tried to give a smile, but it was half-hearted. She always hated disappointing her mother. She took off running down the walkway, her pigtails floating behind her as she flew to find Serenity before the queen summoned her.

They were walking towards the palace at a leisurely pace when Minako, Makoto, and Ami's heads all snapped up in unison. It hadn't even been five minutes since Usagi had taken their leave, and they were already being summoned. "Kuso," Minako spat.

"Lady Serenity wants the three of us in the throne room immediately," Ami sighed. "Oh, dear, this is likely going to be very bad." She looked to Rei, and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "She asks that you take a walk and look around if you'd like to. This is probably going to be awhile."

Makoto nodded in agreement. "Oh, we're probably in so much trouble right now," she groaned.

"For what?" Rei asked with alarm. "Not for failing to kill Hyler, right? That was _my_ job, remember? And I bombed it." She looked to the marble palace and felt hot anger rising up. "No, I'm coming with yall, and I'm going to give this _queen_ a few choice words about reprimanding soldiers for events that are out of their control."

The girls just gaped at her in astonishment. "_Nani_!" Ami cried. "Are you out of your mind! The palace guard would haul you out of there kicking and screaming! Or… well, at least trying to, once Hotaru got ahold of you," she mumbled.

"Besides," Makoto spoke up, "she's likely only going to yell at us for not contacting her sooner. I mean, we've been gone for days without a word. Lady Serenity is a bit of a worry-wart, you know."

"Oh," Rei said with relief. She felt the heat abate, and nodded. "I'll take a walk, yall go do your thing."

###########

Okinawa really was beautiful, and Rei took in all the sights. Some buildings were larger than others, but there were a few even bigger than all of the rest, save the palace. Nine of them, and each had a different symbol upon the sill of the marble rooftops. She recognized the varying symbols, each of them representing a different planet of the solar system except for Earth. She supposed that those buildings were the main houses for each planet, and continued on towards the shore where there were lots of small shops. A few boats littered the ocean, all of them fishing boats. The people on them that she could spot all appeared to be of Mercury or Neptune, because they seemed to be controlling the water in order to catch the fish.

She smiled at everyone she passed, and a few of them smiled and nodded back, until they looked at her forehead, narrowed their eyes, and frowned. They then made a point of avoiding her; Rei's feelings were a bit hurt until she realized that _everyone_ she saw had different symbols on their foreheads. They seemed to wear them without care at home, unlike her friends, who had kept theirs concealed, even when they were at the farm. Maybe they did it to keep her and the other pilots from feeling uncomfortable.

Rei ducked into a small shop to get out of sight, and sighed with relief when she noticed that she was alone in the store, save the shopkeeper. Breathing in the rose incense, she closed her eyes and fought for calm before looking to the owner and smiling.

The girl had pretty long black hair, just like Rei's, and eyes so green that they were startling. The faint red symbol of Mars shone on her forehead. Sensing Rei's gaze, she looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "Can I help you?" She asked in heavily accented English.

"Hai," Rei replied, hoping she could remember enough Japanese to communicate with this woman. While Rei's features and surname hinted that she was about half Japanese, she had been raised as an American, and considered herself so. As a result, she spoke English and Spanish, and only a little of a few other languages. She understood more than she spoke, though, so maybe she could pull this off.

"Ahh... Nihongo. Domo arigato." She glanced at her forehead and made a face. "You're a Mars..." she spoke in Japanese, "...yet you have no symbol."

"How did you know I was a Mars?" Rei asked slowly, searching for the right words.

She laughed. "You're not from around here. Most people would not take kindly to outsiders, but I can tell that you're not dangerous. I can read souls. All descendants of the royal family of Mars have some sort of ESP."

"I know, I'm from the royal line. Usagi-chan said my dreams were normal.

Her eyes widened. "Usagi-sama? The Princess! Wow, you've got some friends in high places! She's the daughter of Lady Serenity-sama, and our future leader," she rattled off in excitement. Then a thought occurred to her, and she beamed. "Wait a minute. You're part of the royal line? That would make us cousins! I'm Mitsuko, high priestess of Mars." She gave Rei a respectful bow and came around from behind the counter.

"I have family?" She asked softly, so stunned that she'd reverted to English. "Are there others?"

"Yes," Mitsuko said happily, and embraced the pilot. "Take yourself down to the temple later on. It's the building with our symbol on it." When she pulled away, she patted her hand understandingly. "What's your name?"

"Oh my God, I'm so rude, please forgive me. I'm Rei Maxwell—actually, my birth name is Hino Rei, but well…" she shrugged lamely. She didn't notice Mitsuko's look of surprise when she said her last name, she'd turned her head to study a rack of hats.

"You said your name's Hino?" The priestess asked slowly.

Rei picked a red sunhat off the rack. "Well, I go by my brother's name, Maxwell, but I was abandoned as a newborn. The note that was found with me said my name is Hino Rei."

Not sure how to explain, and not sure if it was her place to tell Rei anything more than she already had, she nodded. "You should go down to the temple when you get a chance, meet some of the others," she advised. She changed the subject and pointed at Rei's selection. "That one matches nicely with your dress, you should take it."

Rei dug in the small pocket on her hip. "How much?"

Mitsuko quickly shook her hands in front of her. "No charge, cousin. You should be covering her forehead as it is; most will assume you're an outsider since you don't have the sign of Mars on you. Don't worry, though, you'll learn how to control your power well enough to show it."

Rei put the hat on her head and pulled the brim of it down just enough to hide the center of her forehead. "Thank you… cousin," she said softly, trying out the new word. It felt funny on her tongue, but in a wonderful way. She stood there awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"You're welcome, cousin. Come back and visit me soon." Mitsuko hugged her one more time, then shooed her out of the store. "Go down to the temple," she ordered.

Rei looked around once she was outside, and when she had her bearings, she started out for the Temple of Mars. She was quickly lost in her own thoughts as she walked, a little smile playing on her lips while she remembered her new-found cousin. Mitsuko had seemed very interested about her last name, and she wondered if there were members of her immediate family living here.

She felt a mixture of fear and excitement at the thought. If her family was alive, why did they abandon her? She had been left on the doorstep of the Maxwell Church, but she held no ill-will towards her birth mother for doing so. It had been wartime, and if she'd lost her husband or lover in the war, it would have been very difficult for her to provide for a baby. If that was truly the case, her mother had done what she had to do in the best interests of her child. What if her mother was still alive? Had she searched for her, and assumed that her baby had been killed in the church massacre? What a sad thought, Rei realized. If that was the case, she couldn't even imagine the grief her mother had experienced.

She began to walk a little faster, and was nearly to the stand of buildings where the Temple of Mars was housed when she was grabbed roughly by the arm. She turned her head to look at the owner of the pale, strong hand, and jerked roughly out of his grasp. He was tall, blonde, and dressed in what seemed to be a guard's uniform. "Excuse you," she said with a nasty tone.

Blue-green eyes studied her, and the symbol of Uranus flashed on his forehead brightly just as a gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew her hat from her head. He shoved her into a pair of waiting arms; Rei felt a surge of anger when she realized someone had snuck up behind her and she hadn't even noticed. "This is her, Michiru," the sandy-haired Uranus said.

Rei struggled against the woman behind her, and kicked firmly backwards. The woman's grip was strong, and it was obvious that she had lots of experience with handling violent offenders; nothing Rei did could break that hold. "What did I do!" She spat at the guard in front of her. "Is it illegal all of a sudden to walk around?"

The Uranus shrugged. "No, but this is a closed colony. We don't allow outsiders, and you, clearly, are an outsider." He pointed at her forehead. "We had reports of a girl in a red dress wandering around with no symbol on her head."

"I'm a Mars!" She yelled furiously, and stomped down mercilessly on Michiru's foot. The full-nelson she was being held in loosened for a split second, and that was all she needed. She spun and slugged Michiru right in the jaw, and was turning to do the same to the other guard when a tight grip squeezed her whole body and froze her in place. She struggled, but it was futile. "Let me the fuck go!" She raged, and felt that familiar heat spread through her body. She remembered what Usagi had said about it, that it was the fire trying to come out of her, and tried with all her being to release it on the blonde guard that was giving her a smug, shit-eating smile. "I'm a Mars!" She repeated, breathing heavily from her thrashing.

"Sure you are, little one," he said patronizingly. "Show me your power if you're a Mars." He stood back and waited patiently.

Rei felt her invisible bonds release, and momentarily considered making a break for it. No, too many people. Her little fight against the guards had drawn quite the crowd, and they all seemed less than happy. If she tried to run, she wouldn't put it past the mob to throw in with the guards and beat her down.

The guards knew this as well, and the two—not just one—that were behind her stepped forward. The aqua-haired guard sporting the swelling jaw must have been the one that had grabbed her from behind, and judging by the symbol of Saturn on the shorter girl, that was the one holding her in place with her mind.

"Fine," she finally sputtered, and closed her eyes. "I'll try." The heat that had filled her body was still right there, and she concentrated like she had when she'd helped the other girls teleport. Her body grew tingly, and the heat intensified. It felt like it was just at the surface, ready to come out and burn off the blonde guard's eyebrows, but she couldn't get it to do anything more than make her feel incredibly hot. She finally cracked open her eyes and shook her head in disappointment. "Damn it, I really tried, too. I haven't had any training yet. I can only get enough energy to make my body go numb," she admitted sourly.

"Bind her," the blonde ordered.

Rei's arms snapped to her sides, and the short girl with black hair gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, orders, you know." She looked to the blonde man. "Haruka-chan, what if she _is _telling the truth? Maybe she's only a fledgling."

"Then we have no choice," the man sighed.

"Besides, it's not possible," Michiru snapped. "She's far too old."

Rei decided to go with her last resort. She cried out for help like a sissy. _USAGI! HELP!_ She screamed.

"She's using telepathy," a young man with a crescent moon on his head warned from the crowd. "Better silence her."

_NO!_ The telepathic cry screamed just before the Neptune moved to strike. Rei instantly recognized that voice, and sighed with relief. She watched everyone drop to one knee, but when she looked around, she didn't see Usagi anywhere.

"Release her," a regal voice commanded from behind her. Rei tried to look towards the voice, but still couldn't move anything below her neck. Hotaru quickly glanced up and smiled, and Rei said a hasty thank you when she could move again. She spun around at gaped at her savior.

"Wow." This had to be Lady Serenity. She was stunningly gorgeous, and while she was obviously Usagi's mother, she didn't look a day over thirty. Her hair was silver, and shone brightly in the sun, but her blue eyes were hard and cold as she studied the palace guards. Rei quickly dropped to one knee and bowed her head.

"Stand, Rei," she ordered, not unkindly.

Rei did as she was told, and kept her eyes on the hem of Serenity's silver, form-fitting gown. "Thank you, Serenity-sama," she managed.

"Haruka! Michiru! Hotaru!" She barked. "Stand up!" There wasn't any room to argue with that tone, and they jumped to their feet.

Rei turned to watch the scene, and was more than a little pleased to see the blonde and aqua-haired guards sweating just a little. "Haruka, you especially!" Serenity continued. "Apologize to our guest at once. She's an ambassador from the Gundam pilots, and a direct descendant of the royal house of Mars. You nearly jeopardized an entire year's worth of work for the Silver Moon, and could have brought her comrades down on us, raining hellfire and brimstone!"

Haruka bowed solemnly to Rei, and to his credit, didn't seem to bear any animosity towards her. He was in charge of the palace guard, so it had been his call. His call… his responsibility. "You have my most humble apologizes, Rei-san," he said sincerely. He turned back to Serenity. "Please, my queen, let the punishment fall solely on my shoulders. Michiru and Hotaru were just following orders."

Serenity didn't miss the looks of gratitude that the other guards gave him, just as she hadn't missed his exemplary performance at his job ever since he'd been promoted. "I'll admit that you're right," she allowed, "and will not punish your subordinates for your bad judgment."

Rei hastily stepped forward, placing herself between Haruka and Serenity. "Serenity-sama, if I may…" She quickly bowed, since she had never addressed royalty before, and wasn't sure what the hell she was doing. "Haruka-san did his job. He was protecting you and Usagi-san, and in all honesty… if someone I didn't know was suddenly walking around on my base, I wouldn't have been nearly as kind as he would have."

"What would you have done, Rei?" Serenity asked patiently.

She shrugged, and answered the only way she could: honestly. "I would have shot him in the head."

Serenity's lips twitched, but she managed to keep herself from smiling. "But if you shot an unknown man, how would you have asked him who he was? He could have been a friend."

"I'd check his wallet for ID after shooting him. And if he'd been a friend, he would have called me first; my friends know I shoot intruders." Rei looked down. "Sorry if it sounds awful, but it's true, ma'am."

Serenity couldn't keep the smile from her face this time, she just simply couldn't do it. "Remind me to call first if I ever decide to visit you in America." She shook her head. "It's your decision, Rei-san. What would you have me do with them?"

She turned her head and looked at the three guards, and wasn't surprised to see that their attention was trained exclusively on her. She looked back to Serenity. "I think the embarrassment of being reprimanded in front of all these people is more punishment than they deserve."

"So be it. Since you were the injured party, I'll abide by your verdict." She looked around Rei to the three standing behind her. "Haruka, you are now in charge of my personal bodyguard; I'm sure you'd like to stay as a group, so Michiru and Hotaru will be on the same detail."

Rei looked back again to see all three of them with their mouths hanging open. Haruka finally closed his and tried to compose himself. "Serenity-sama… you're promoting us?"

Serenity inclined her head towards Rei. "Her call, you'd best thank her." She waved a hand, indicating that they should follow her.

Rei stepped in line behind the queen, while Michiru and Hotaru into position just ahead of her. Haruka hung back, just beside Rei, as a rearguard. "I won't forget your kindness," he whispered in her ear.

"I wasn't joking." Rei took her hat back from him when he offered it, and stuck it on her head. "If you'd shown up at my place unannounced, just walking around, I would have just shot you… if one of the guys hadn't done it first. They tend to be more trigger-happy than I am."

"Oh." Haruka shook his head, unable to come up with a decent reply. "Well, at any rate, thank you again. I was sure I was about to be demoted."

Rei's friends were waiting anxious for her, leaning against the wall in the throne room. Their faces brightened the moment they spotted her behind Usagi's mother, and the aforementioned princess practically tackled her. "Rei-chan! I'm so glad you're ok! When I heard you scream like that, I thought you were dying or something, so Mother made us teleport her to your location!" She pulled away and studied her friend. "What happened, anyway?"

She shrugged nonchalantly and winked conspiratorially at Haruka. "Nothing, just a bit of a misunderstanding."

Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru all took up positions at the throne when Lady Serenity continued to walk, leaving the throne room. "You need to follow her," the Saturn hissed across the room.

"Oh." Rei and Usagi quickly followed the other three princesses out into a courtyard, where the queen had already taken a seat on a stone bench. Ami, Minako, and Makoto stood in attendance behind her. "So, how much trouble are they—or we—in?"

Serenity laughed, the sound filling the garden like the tinkling of bells. "As I already explained to the girls, I'm not upset that the mission to kill Hyler failed. I'm upset that they waited nearly a week before contacting me. I thought they were in a prison somewhere, or worse." She frowned at this, and eyed her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Usagi bowed, and tried not to whine. "I should have called, but I didn't want to compromise Rei and the guys. Ami wasn't even sure if the lines were secure."

"I know, Usa, we've been through this." Serenity smiled at her lovingly. "Just find some way to contact me the next time, alright? I was sick with worry."

"The girls were a lot of help," Rei offered. "Usa-chan saved Chang's life. He's the pilot of the Altron."

"I'm glad my girls could be of some help. Now, Rei, down to business. I hear you thinking about the Temple of Mars, and I wouldn't want to keep you." The queen stood and stretched. "Ami has informed me that my nephew has been found, and that his unborn child is a Pluto." Her expression grew grim. "I would very much like to see my nephew, and speak with him on this matter."

Rei straightened up, and felt that heat rising up again. "Know this," she said boldly. "No harm will come to their child, and no one will take the baby from them, or there will be a war that your people will never recover from."

The queen hesitated in the face of such determination, and finally nodded. "No harm will come to the child. We just need to be sure that she never develops her powers. A functional Pluto is something that I've never dealt with, so I'm willing to handle the issue in a way that is agreeable to everyone. When you return to the base, please tell Milliardo that I would speak with him."

Satisfied, Rei smiled, and left when Serenity dismissed her, with the promise that she would return before dark. She refused an escort from the princesses and the guards, and insisted that she had to take care of something personal. Thankfully the temple wasn't far from the palace, just a little under a mile.

The stairs were long and many, but she huffed her way to the top, and went in through a door less entrance. An old man was sweeping the floor not too far from her, and she approached him. "Sorry to bother you," she spoke in halting Japanese, "but Mitsuko sent me here."

The little old man looked up, and his eyes widened. He dropped his broom and threw himself at her, holding her tightly. When he pulled away, his eyes were wet with tears. "Risa…?" He choked. "It _is_ you, thank Kami-sama! Where have you been all these years?"

"I-I'm sorry," Rei stammered. "My name is Rei, not Risa." She instantly regretted the words when the man began to weep openly. "Please, sir, don't cry! My name is Hino Rei, and Mitsuko, the girl at the shop, told me I should come here. She acted like my last name was familiar to her. _Please_ don't cry," she begged.

"Hino Rei?" The man wiped at his face with his long white sleeves, and studied her more carefully. One wrinkled hand reached up and touched her cheek. "You look just like Risa… could you be her daughter?" He asked in wonder.

"I… I don't know, sir." Rei removed her hat and hunkered down a little so she was face to face with him. "I was abandoned in America as a baby, during the war. The note left with me told my name, and not much else. I found out only a few days ago that I belong to the royal house of Mars, so I came here like I was told to. Did you know my family? This Risa, was she my mother?"

The old man just stared at her for a moment before answering. "My child, my name is also Hino. Hino Hiroto. I'm also of the royal line, and I'm your grandfather."

**Now some of you know what I meant about changing some stuff. :) Hope you enjoyed it, and if you noticed, I combined two chapter into one, because it just didn't make any damned sense to have two short chapters when I could have one long one… I'll probably do more of this before it's all over, since I'll be adding some extra chapters as well. Please review if you get a chance, thank you for reading! Now, I have to go make sure there isn't shit everywhere in the nursery; BOTH babies have the virus, now…**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry it was a little bit between updates, Topaz's oneshots kind of inspired me to write some smut that I'll be using in later chapters, so I was busy with that for like, five days. **

**To the anonymous review I got: this fic is under revision. I finally took some time to download all the other chapter and delete them from the actual fic, so that everything posted is now canon with the storyline. Hope this clears things up.**

**Ok, now it's the 23****rd****, and I've written all of the couple chapters for the whole fic. X_X Yeah, thanks Topaz. :) NOW I'm finally going to start back on the regular chapters!**

Revised May17-23, 2012

Chapter Twenty-One

Rei let her grandfather lead her slowly by the hand back into the caretaker's living quarters, and smiled at him when he looked up at her every few seconds, his eyes still brimming with tears of joy. When he bade her sit down and began to prepare tea, she shook her head and coaxed him to sit instead. "I would be honored to serve you tea, Grandfather," she said softly, and kissed the top of his bald head.

Grandpa Hino began to weep quietly again while he watched her navigate his tiny kitchen with ease. She sat next to him while the water heated in the kettle, and took his hands in hers. "What was my mother like?" She asked.

"Just like you." He wiped at his face again and hugged her. "I dreamt the other night that Risa was coming home, but I dismissed it as just a dream. I didn't know it was a prophecy; I should have listened to it and been ready for your arrival."

"I have the dreams, too, Grandfather." She couldn't hide the worry from her face. "I dream of a halo on the moon, but I haven't had a dream in a while, now. I hope that means that I'm on the right path."

"A halo on the moon is a bad sign, child." He patted her hand comfortingly. "It's a sign that a storm is coming."

The kettle whistled, and Rei excused herself to make the tea. She brought it back carefully on a tray, with two mugs, and poured it for them. Rather than sit across from him, she chose to continue to sit by his side. "Grandfather… what happened to my mother? Why did she leave me at a church?"

Hiroto shook his head. "That, I don't know. How old are you, Rei? Twenty? I thought so. She left about a year before you were born; she'd met a man who was a soldier, and married him without my blessing. I was heartbroken, if I had known then what I know now, I would have given her my blessing just to keep her close to home. She left, and never came back. She only wrote me once to tell me her husband had been killed in action; I wrote her back to ask her to come home, but either she didn't receive my letter or she ignored it." He fought the urge to cry and looked at his grandchild. "If I could see her one last time, I'd take back every nasty thing I ever said to her right before she left."

Rei held him tight and gently rocked him when he lost control of the tears again; she didn't have any children, so she could only imagine the pain of losing one… and on bad terms, too. "I'm here now, Grandfather, and we've found each other."

"Will you stay?" He asked hopefully. "I know it's soon to ask, but I could find a place for you to sleep, it won't be a problem."

"I would love to, Grandfather, but…"

He grinned slyly. "It's a young man, isn't it?" When she nodded, he laughed a little and wiped his face again. "I would like to meet him, child. Is he here with you?"

"He's back home, at my base. Well, er, it's a farm, too." She shook her head and took a sip of her tea. "It's a long story, but I'll tell it if you have time."

Grandfather Hino assured her that they had all the time in the world, and sat back to listen while she told her story.

############

It was just getting dark when Rei returned to the palace, accompanied by her grandfather. He had insisted on escorting her, not only because he didn't want her to leave his sight, but out of a responsibility to keep her safe. Not that anyone on Okinawa would ever attack a lone woman walking at night, but she didn't need to know that.

"You're late," Haruka said with a smile. Then he noted the old man at her side and gasped. Hiroto Hino was a Prince of Mars, descended from the great king that had stayed on the planet to fight off the invasion. Was he related to the raven haired beauty that was holding his hand?

"Ah, Hino-san," Serenity said pleasantly, rising from her throne to glide down and embrace the man fondly. "I take it you've met your granddaughter?"

"You knew?" Rei asked, hurt that she hadn't been told.

"I knew your mother," Serenity admitted, inclining her head, "but I didn't feel it was my place to say anything until you met Hino-san."

They all took a seat around a small, low table, and were served a late supper of Japanese cuisine. Rei especially enjoyed the sushi; she had never tasted fish so fresh from the ocean. She bid her grandfather a good night when she yawned and the queen insisted that she get some rest. She couldn't help but agree, it had been an exhausting day, both physically and mentally. She couldn't help but notice the way Haruka leaned over her when they reached what was to be her room during her stay. "Good night," she said quickly.

"Night, Pyro," he said with a smile. "Sweet dreams."

"You too." She escaped into the safety of her room and closed the door behind her a little too quickly to be polite.

###########

Haruka leaned against the wall and sighed. He liked her, he _really_ liked her, and he barely even knew her. She had a fighting spirit, something he could relate to, but had also shown herself to be genuinely kind back in the square. She really had saved his bacon by vouching for him. He made his way back down the hall, and checked his watch. His shift had ended five minutes ago, so he plodded back to his quarters. He shared them with Michiru. Some would think that strange, for a man and a woman to share quarters if they weren't lovers, but everyone on Okinawa knew better, no matter how masculine he dressed.

Haruka was really a woman. She wasn't a woman that wanted to be a man; it was just that she preferred men's clothes. They were more comfortable, and since she was so tall, it was difficult to find women's clothing in her size that fit her slight frame and small breasts. It wasn't that she didn't like men, either, she just preferred women. Outsiders always assumed she was a man, and that was fine by her, it didn't matter what they thought. But if she had any hope of wooing Rei, she had to be honest with her, and soon.

"Got a thing for her, huh?" Michiru teased, and hid her own jealousy. She'd been madly in love with her roommate since they were children, but Haruka seemed blind to her affections. She'd been fine with that, so long as the sandy-haired guard hadn't shown an interest in anyone else. Now it bothered her. "Does she even know you're a woman?"

Haruka shook her head slowly. "I'll tell her. Not sure how she'll react to it, but I'll tell her, all the same." She stripped out of her uniform and slipped into a comfortable t-shirt, not even noticing the way Michiru's eyes lingered on her bare body while she changed.

##########

Rei's eyes snapped open and she growled in frustration. "Grandfather, this isn't working."

"Let your mind wander, Rei. Close your eyes and hush. It takes patience to have a vision, but with practice, you can have them during your waking hours as well as when you sleep."

She grumbled, but did as she was told. She let her mind wander, and most of her thoughts focused on Heero. God, she missed him. She'd only been gone for less than two days, and already she longed to hold him, to feel his lips on hers. His kisses always lit her on fire. The mere thought of them brought an image of a flame to her mind, and she found herself focusing on it with amusement.

Her levity quickly faded when the fire rippled, and her brother's face appeared in it. He cried out with pain, and there was blood, blood everywhere, pouring from the left side of his chest. _Duo!_

She leapt toward the fire and found herself burning, **burning**, but she was now standing in a field that was covered in the psychic flame, and she could hear Usagi's screams echoing in her head.

Another gunshot rang out, just as Usagi's forehead burned with golden light, and a man fell. Usagi dropped the gun, and she was rushing towards Duo, but he was already dead. The light burned brightly, even brighter than the fire that was burning Rei from the inside out. Usagi was screaming in agony as she pushed her power into Duo without any effect.

"DUO!" They screamed together. Rei tried to go to her brother, but she fell to her knees. The flames, they hurt so badly, but she had to get to her brother, had to somehow bring him back to life. She crawled to him through the fire, and wordlessly tried to shrug off the pair of hands that were now dragging her backwards.

"REI!"

Hearing her name snapped her back, snatched her from the searing heat of the fire. She opened her eyes, and gazed into violet eyes that mirrored her own, filled with concern. "Grandfather?" She gasped. Her voice and her hands shook, and she let him hold her against his chest and rock her. "What happened?"

"You were burning, child," Hiroto whispered back in fear. He pulled away and held her hands up so she could see them.

Second and third degree burns covered her skin, and when she drew in a sharp breath, she could smell burnt hair. "But, but the fire wasn't real," she protested. "It was just something I saw in my mind, and then. She suddenly began to shake violently, and sobbed against him.

"What did you see, child?" Hiroto asked in alarm. "You saw something in the fire, didn't you?"

She babbled out her vision to her grandfather, her words punctuated with choking sobs. "I have to get back home. I have to warn Duo. Where's Usagi? I have to warn her to, I have to tell her not to walk away—"

"Hush, child." He hugged her tightly, and made soothing circles on her back with his hands. "First, we'll get you to Serenity-sama, and get these burns healed." He looked down, and noted that her miko's robe was singed and even charred in some spots.

When he looked up, he smiled. "Your symbol is on your forehead," he said with amusement. He traced the circle and arrow with his thumb, then helped her rise to her feet. He looked down and frowned at the blisters covering her bare feet. "No, sit back down; I'll bring a healer to you, dear." He closed his eyes and summoned his sister-in-law, the closest moon at hand. "There, the Muse is on her way. It's about time you met her."

"Grandfather, I— I'm sorry. I shouldn't have leapt into the fire. I just… I didn't know." Rei shook her head, and resisted the urge to close her eyes and call the flames back. Something was calling to her, urging her to take another look.

Hiroto nodded. "It's calling to you now, isn't it?" He asked knowingly. He knew what that distant look in her eyes meant, and resolved to train her to the best of her ability. She was as very skilled seer, not many Mars', even those of the royal family, had a conscious vision on their first day. He took her hands in his own and pressed her forehead against hers. "Close your eyes and see the fire again, my dear. This time I'm going with you."

There was no searching this time; the moment Rei closed her eyes, the fire was there, waiting for her, beckoning to her like an old friend. She drew closer to it, but was careful not to touch it this time. _This is your power, my dear. You're seeing it with your mind's eye. Now that you've found it, you can call upon it anytime,_ her grandfather's voice said in her mind.

She saw Usagi in the fire again, only this time; she and Duo were kissing, lying in the grass behind her house where she and the other girls liked to sunbathe. She blushed at the naked desire on her brother's face, the wave of need and love that washed over her. Rei thought about stepping back, but her curiosity was piqued when Usagi's light shined and suddenly flooded her brother's body. Her brother was then tearing at her sundress, removing her swimsuit, and Rei's eyes popped at the sight. "Ok, _that's enough,_" she snorted. As if the fire had heard her, the image immediately disappeared.

Her grandfather was laughing hysterically when she opened her eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Serenity is going to have a coronary when she hears about this!" He laughed, falling to the floor in hysterics.

Rei couldn't help the defensive anger that rose up in her. "What? My brother's not good enough to be with her daughter?"

Hiroto shook his head, but couldn't stop laughing. "No, it's not that, it's just that Serenity, as wonderful as she is… well, her one flaw is being a tad overbearing about her daughter's future." He managed to sober up enough to sit back up, but couldn't keep the grin from his face. "Serenity's plan for Usagi's future is for her to marry a royal born in Okinawa, have lots of babies, and become the new ruler the moment she's married. But what we've all been trying to tell her for years is that she can't control every little detail, and she should simply want her daughter's happiness." He shrugged good-naturedly. "Well, it seems my old friend is about to learn a hard lesson. Usagi is a grown woman; she can be with whomever she chooses."

"You called for me, oneesan?"

Hiroto's head turned, and he regarded his sister-in-law warmly. "Chigusa, this is my granddaughter, Rei. She's had a bit of an accident with the sacred flame."

The tiny old woman regarded Rei solemnly before approaching her and kneeling at her side. "You're a mirror of your mother," she remarked sadly. She pushed Rei's hair back from her face and studied her violet eyes sadly before kissing her symbol. "We all miss Risa so much. Your coming here is like her returning to us."

She gave her a watery smile before assessing the damage. "You need to be careful with the psychic flame, Rei. Normal fire won't have much effect on you, but your own power, that's a different story. There are tales of fledgling Mars' burning themselves up with their powers because they weren't careful." The symbol of Mercury appeared on her forehead, and she flooded Rei with a soothing cold.

Rei gasped when she watched the blue light fade and shift into a crescent moon, and fill her with white healing light. "Oh, so you're both a Mercury and a Moon?" She asked curiously.

"Chigusa is the Muse," Hiroto explained. "She possesses the powers of _all_ the planets, rather than just one house. Except time travel," he added quickly. "She is very honored, very respected by all, and is second only to Serenity and Usagi. She's also your great-aunt."

"I have an auntie, too?" Rei asked with delight.

The Muse smiled and pulled away to study the new pink skin that had replaced Rei's blisters and burns. "Yes, dear, I'm your auntie." She kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. "Now, Serenity-sama is summoning you to the palace. It would be best if you hurried. Change into a new robe, first," she advised.

Rei smiled with pleasure at being escorted to the palace by her new-found family. In only two days, she had gone from having only Duo and Heero, to finding herself surrounded by relatives. "I wonder if any of the guys are also Mars'?" She thought aloud.

Chigusa shrugged. "The odds are slim, child. Out of all the royal families, Mars is the smallest. The great king and queen stayed behind to defend against the Darkness, and inspired by their sacrifice, many of their subjects rallied and shared their fate. The only ones to escape were the smallest children and a few of the elderly, who were sent to look after them. Uranus and Jupiter suffered similar fates, but they had more survivors than us."

"I wonder what Heero is?" She said softly. "God, I hope he's not a Mars, that would be like, incest or something, wouldn't it?"

Chigusa shrugged. "If he's a Mars, you're cousins at the very least. All of us are related, most of us closely. There are only a few dozen of us, but our population has waxed and waned over thousands of years. Unfortunately, we tend to be a warlike people, so whenever there's a battle, we lose many. We're grateful to at least have a few pop up occasionally, such as you. Your powers are very strong, and you will be a great asset to your grandfather in the temple, and on the battlefield."

They all bowed before Serenity when they entered the throne room. "You summoned me, Serenity-sama?" Rei asked softly.

"Why is your hair burned?" The queen asked with a touch of concern. She looked more closely at Rei, then rose and closed the distance between them. "Ah," she sighed. "I see." She traced the symbol on Rei's forehead and smiled with pride. "Haruka, bring me a hairbrush, please," she ordered over her shoulder. "And a pair of scissors."

Rei's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Oh no, I can't cut my hair," she protested. She grabbed a handful of the once-lustrous raven tresses, and looked at them with dismay. The ends were singed, and her hair was uneven all over from where it had been burned. She fought the sudden tears that jumped into her eyes. "Oh no," she moaned.

"Hush, dear, it's alright," Serenity assured her. "I can probably fix this. If I can't, it'll grow back. She looked to Hotaru and nodded. "While Haruka gets what we need, you have a visitor. He insisted on seeing you immediately."

Rei noted the hint of annoyance in her voice, and turned her head to see Heero stepping from one of the wings in the throne room. She immediately ran to him and leapt into his arms.

He caught her up and kissed her fiercely, unconscious to the fact that they had an audience; there was only Rei, only her full red lips pressing against his, only—he broke away sharply at the sound of laughter. "Sorry," he grunted, and lowered his lover slowly to her feet.

Haruka frowned deeply, and handed Serenity the items she requested. She'd returned just in time to witness the fiery embrace, and was none-too-pleased to see her competition had come for a visit. She'd been hoping to get Rei alone later on so they could get to know each other.

Chigusa was the first to approach the two, and took Heero's hand in her own. "Hold still young man." She kept a firm grip when he tried to snatch his hand back, and smiled at Rei when she chastised him. "Humor an old woman, boy." She closed her eyes, and just as quickly opened them again. "Jupiter. Royal House. It seems that Makoto has gained…" she closed her eyes again and grimaced in confusion. "A brother?" Her eyes snapped back open, and she whipped around with surprising speed for her age. "Serenity, this man is a direct descendant of Jupiter, and Makoto's older brother.

#########

Apparently, during the war in the AC 180's, Makoto's parents had been abroad, with Mako's older brothers and sister. Mako had been an infant, and was ill with the croup, so she'd been left at home with her grandmother. No one really knew what had happened to the delegation, but they'd all been assumed dead when a fierce battle broke out in the town where they were staying in Europe. Heero had been too young to remember, so the best they could piece together was that he'd been orphaned and taken in by Odin Lowe, who had assumed the role of his father.

Heero didn't know what to think of the news. A teary-eyed Makoto had embraced him tightly; she had run full-speed from the Temple of Jupiter the moment Serenity had summoned her with the news. Once they were side-by-side, the resemblance between them was striking. "You said there were others," Heero said flatly.

"Yes," Chigusa confirmed. "Another brother and sister. I don't know if they survived, but if you did, it's safe to say that they may still be alive. You couldn't have taken care of yourself, Heero, you were only two or three when the attack came. Someone must have saved the three of you. If they're alive as well, you must have been separated at some point." She shook her head wearily. "I honestly don't know."

#########

Rei wandered the halls aimlessly, waiting for Heero to come find her. She'd given him and Mako some time alone to get acquainted, but now she was bored. Grandfather and Chigusa had both gone to take naps; they just weren't used to this much excitement in their advanced ages. She leaned against the wall and simply enjoyed the quiet for a few moments. She hadn't had a chance to do that ever since she'd gotten the call that Duo had been shot. "Duo," she mumbled. "I really need to give him a call."

"Is this a private reverie?" A low voice asked, snapping her out of her trance.

Rei's violet eyes cracked open, and she smiled at Haruka. "It's awfully noisy at my house lately. I was just enjoying the silence." He was dressed in street clothes, and Rei noted that it was a marked improvement over those dreadful guards' uniforms she always saw him in. "Finish your shift?"

Haruka nodded, and grabbed a handful of her hair. "Serenity-sama did a great job." She let the silky tresses run through her fingers, and fought the urge to use a handful of it to pull Rei to her and kiss her soundly.

"I was playing with the sacred flame a little bit ago. Well, playing isn't the right word; even a Mars shouldn't play with fire, like Grandpa said. I saw you in it."

Haruka's attention focused sharply on the raven-haired beauty. "What did you see?"

Rei gave him a little grin. "Michiru… eh, I probably shouldn't tell you. I should probably ask Grandfather the rules about these sorts of things," she mused. She found herself pressed against a pillar by a hard… wait a damn minute. A not-so-hard chest.

Haruka smiled when Rei just stared at her. "Well, I guess the fire didn't show you _that_," she said smugly. She lowered her mouth to Rei's and kissed her softly.

Rei broke away sharply and shook her head. "I'm—I'm awfully sorry, Haruka, but—oh, wow. No, the fire didn't show me that," she finished lamely.

Haruka sighed. She frankly wasn't surprised. "You like men," she said flatly. She shrugged when Rei could only nod in response. "It's alright. I have to admit that I'm disappointed though." She cupped Rei's heart-shaped face in her hands and kissed her forehead. "God, you're gorgeous. Yuy's a lucky man."

Rei simply couldn't help herself; she ran her hands up Haruka's chest, and her eyes bugged out a little at the feel of breasts under the button-up shirt. "Sorry," she snorted, and joined in when Haruka started to laugh. "It's just—you have tits!" She pulled her hands away quickly. "Sorry, wasn't trying to feel you up or anything."

"It's ok," the Princess of Uranus laughed. "I normally have that effect when someone finds out. You should see me in an evening gown. There was once a delegation that had seen me barking orders and leading the palace guard for a week, and their faces were fucking priceless when I was announced as the Princess of Uranus." She grinned mischeviously.

"Wait, you're a princess, too? Why are you a guard?"

"Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn have always guarded the royal families, Pyro. We aren't servants by any means, though. We're some of the fiercest warriors at your disposal." Haruka gave her a little smile that made it obvious that she had also meant she was at Rei's disposal.

Rei blushed fiercely, and decided it was a good time to tell Haruka about the vision she'd had. "So, now that I know you have tits, my vision makes an awful lot more sense."

"In what way?" She shifted so that she was standing next to Rei, closely, but no longer towering over her. Sometimes she forgot how intimidating she could be when she wanted something. She still wanted Rei, but the hopes of that working out were dwindling fast.

"Well, in my vision, Michiru and you were arguing, and you kind of got into a fight. I was pretty fucking mad at you too, for hitting a girl, but now that I know _you're_ a girl…" She shrugged, then continued. "Well, then Michiru said something about how you never see what's right in front of your face, and—" Rei blushed hotly, and shrugged helplessly when Haruka looked over at her sharply.

"Huh?" She studied Rei's face intently, and wondered what exactly could make the Princess of Mars turn such a vibrant shade of crimson—"Oh._" _Her eyes widened in horror and understanding. "_Oh_." She ran her fingers through her short sandy hair and groaned. "I'm a fucking idiot."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what Michiru said in the vision," Rei commented dryly.

Haruka hugged Rei to her fiercely. "Thank you, Pyro. Oh, God, what have I been doing to Michiru all these years?" She groaned. "I'd better go and find her."

Rei kissed her on the cheek and returned the hug. "Good luck, Haruka. Go make things right."

Haruka hurried down the hallway towards the room she shared with the Princess of Neptune, and Rei smiled in delight. "Rei Maxwell, matchmaker extraordinaire," she snickered. "Maybe I'm part Venus," she mused aloud.

"The way he's been following you around, I would assume so," Heero said flatly. "If I see him kissing you again, Rei, I'm going to shoot him."

To her credit, she didn't even flinch when she heard Heero's voice from behind her. She was getting used to him creeping up on her. "Her, Heero."

"Come again?" Had he just heard that right?

"Haruka's a _girl_, Heero, and I'm not attracted to her in the slightest," Rei said dryly. She finally turned and looked up at him.

Heero grunted in surprise. "Well, that explains why I saw her going into the ladies' room earlier. I assumed he—she, I mean—was looking for Michiru."

"Well, she is now." Rei quickly explained her vision, and was pleased to see Heero's lips twitching in amusement. "What, you want to go spy on the lesbian action?"

He shrugged. "I already watched some from over there." He pointed to the pillar he'd hidden behind while he'd watched Haruka kiss his lover, which was followed by Rei running her hands up the guard's chest. Wow, he had totally misinterpreted that scene. Well, not all of it. He hadn't interrupted, because even at a distance, Rei's body language had screamed the fact that she wasn't attracted to Haruka. "So, what was it like to kiss a girl?" He snickered when she blushed.

"Soft," Rei admitted.

"Like this?" Heero pulled her to him, and just barely brushed his lips against hers. He pulled away when her lips parted in expectation, and his lips twitched when her eyes flashed with just a hint of fire.

"I don't like soft, Heero," she growled. "I thought you would have figured that out by now."

"Oh, well, then." He shoved her up against the pillar and kissed her fiercely. His hands were as rough as his mouth, and when she was gasping and rocking her hips against him desperately, he jerked away and couldn't help but grin. "Better?"

Rei reached out to grab him by his shirt and pull him in for another head-exploding, toe-curling kiss, and snarled when he jumped out of her reach. "Heero Yuy, if you don't finish what you just started…"

"You'll what?" He teased.

Rei stopped, crossed her arms, and studied him seriously. "I don't know yet, but I'll find a way to make you miserable."

Because she was Duo's sister, he didn't doubt her for a second. He scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Which way to your room, sweetheart?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Well, this story is quickly becoming a whole new story from the original, so I'm glad I took down all the old chapters. We'll just see where inspiration takes me with this one, I reckon this story is going to be a LOT longer than I'd originally planned, too. I already have another few chapters ready for later parts (Topaz has been proof reading the smutty goodness, those chapters will be rated M), and I think I'm going to continue to explore all of the different relationships between all of the pilots and the girls, and newfound family members to do some character building. I hope yall enjoy the ride as much as I have so far!**

Duo rolled his eyes and groaned at the sound of his sister whimpering with need behind the closed door.

"I swear to God, Heero, if you don't—oh my God. Heero," her voice moaned softly.

He stuck his fingers in his ears when it was obvious that Rei was reaching her climax. "Lalalalala, I don't want to hear this," he sang. God, he'd be running and screaming if he didn't desperately need to speak with Heero. He waited another five minutes, and unplugged his ears.

"Shit, oh God, not again! God, Heero, just come alre—"

He promptly shoved his fingers back in, and over the next fifteen minutes, it became like a game for him. He'd unplug his ears only to hear Rei's voice escalating as she orgasmed, he'd groan in disgust and plug them again, only to repeat the process after a few minutes. "God, is Heero some sort of fucking sex god?" Duo grumbled, and unplugged his ears again. "Thank God," he muttered, when he heard Heero's voice joining in with Rei's. He replaced his fingers and entertained the idea of busting in the room just to cock block his best friend, but he honestly didn't feel like getting shot today. Ew. He really didn't feel like seeing Rei all sweaty and naked and in the throes of passion, either.

The door slammed open, and Heero stuck his head out. "I knew I heard someone out here. What?" He snapped.

Duo swallowed the urge to vomit at the sight of Heero, slick with sweat from head to toe. His hair was a lot messier than usual, and his chest and shoulders were covered in bite marks and hickeys. Duo gagged and tasted something acidic when Heero shifted and he spied the scratch marks down his back. "_God_, that is just so _disgusting!_"

Heero's lips twitched at Duo's discomfort, and he simply couldn't help himself. "If you think that's bad, you should see what I did to _her_."

Rei poked her head out just then and grinned mischievously at her brother. "We give you a good show? I heard you singing the lala song," she laughed, and ducked back into her room to shower and dress.

Duo wrapped the end of his braid around his hand and rolled his eyes. "You mean that was just a show?" Wow, Rei was quite a good actress; he could have sworn that those cries of ecstasy had been real.

Heero gave a barely perceptible shake of his head and smiled. "Nope, sorry to spoil your dreams, friend. Now, what do you want? I have an incredibly hot woman in the shower that's waiting for round three."

"Three…?" Duo's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Heero smacked him on the back. "It was a joke, Duo. But I do need a shower."

Duo's face grew serious. "You're wanted in the throne room, man. We all showed up, and some shit has hit the proverbial fan."

"I'll be there in five. Let me wash up."

Heero strode into the throne room with Rei at his side, expecting a complete shitstorm the moment he walked in. Surprisingly enough, it was pretty quiet. The other pilots were all standing close to the throne, along with the girls. Makoto was beaming at him brightly, and he gave her a slight smile and a nod. It was strange having a sister, but he was sure it was something he'd get used to in time, like how he'd gotten used to Rei's constant presence in his life. "You summoned me, Lady?"

Serenity smiled at him from the throne, and noted the hickey on his neck and the fact that both of them had just come from the shower. _Well, good for them._ "Something unexpected came up when your friends decided to make an appearance," she began. "Out of curiosity, I had Ami read their abilities with her computer, and what we found was very unexpected. I called Chigusa in to confirm it." She stepped down from her throne, and took Heero by the hand.

"What's wrong?" Heero asked. Serenity was smiling at him, but something had to be wrong. The way the other pilots were looking at him, it was like he'd grown a second head. The way they were glancing at Trowa was also unsettling.

"Nothing's wrong, Heero," she assured him. She stopped when they reached Trowa. "Heero, I'd like you to meet your brother," she said gently.

Heero just gaped at the pilot of Zero Three. Trowa had always seemed like a brother, so much that this was a staggering discovery. They were both quiet, reserved, had the same fucked up sense of humor, and truth be told, they looked an awful lot alike.

Trowa just studied Heero before breaking into one of his rare smiles. He'd been stunned when he'd learned the news, so he could empathize with his brother. He'd already called Catherine, but she was pregnant with her third child and too close to her time to travel through space. She was thrilled to learn about her new siblings, though, and was looking forward to bringing the family and meeting them. Well, she had already met Heero, but this new revelation would make it feel like she was meeting him for the first time.

Heero looked at Quatre. "So, how does it feel?" He asked the blonde.

"Huh?" The Sandrock pilot just shook his head in confusion.

"How does it feel to know that Mako's got two older brothers that you have to contend with?" He asked seriously.

Trowa looked over at his best friend and didn't lose his smile for an instant. "You're in trouble, Quatre."

They turned back to face each other while Quatre visibly squirmed under this new shock. "It should have been obvious from the start," Heero said quietly. Finding out that they were brothers only confirmed the bond he'd felt with Trowa ever since the other pilot had saved him and nursed him back to health fifteen years ago. "Brother," he said, testing out the word, tasting it on his tongue for the first time. The word felt foreign in his mouth, but it was something he could get used to saying.

"If you guys don't hug, I'm going to beat you both!" Makoto teased.

Trowa and Heero embraced tightly, slapping each other on the backs. "Happy?" The elder of the two asked his newly discovered sister.

"Yes, oneechan," she said brightly. That word was new to her, too, and she absolutely couldn't get over saying it. After living for years as an orphan, the girls had been her only family, yet now she had Heero, Trowa, and Quatre.

Wufei cleared his throat. "There's other news." He felt a ripple of pleasure run through him when Ami gave him a shy smile, and made a mental note to try and get her alone later. He'd been pursuing her for days now, but she was very good at evasion.

Rei's heart nearly stopped beating when Wufei approached her steadily. "What's wrong?" There had to be something wrong, if Wufei was being asked to deliver the news.

Wufei gave her a hesitant little smile, and tried yet again to wrap his mind around what Ami and Chigusa had discovered. He took her hands in his, lightly, and gave them a little squeeze. "Cousin."

Rei's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "C-Cousin? You mean we're kin?" She couldn't stop herself; she threw her arms around him and hugged him to her tightly.

Wufei gasped with pleasure at the sudden warmth that flooded through him, and held the Princess of Mars against him. Cousin, his ass, she felt more like a sister. And a distant cousin, at that. "I'm not of the royal line," he explained, "but Chigusa said that there are so few of us that we're likely third or fourth cousins. An off-shoot of the royal line, most likely."

"Possibly double cousins," Chigusa added. "My husband was also my second cousin, so the lines have gotten a little mixed in."

Rei snorted. "Apparently our family tree doesn't fork." Well, what did one expect when there was such a small pool of other Mars' to mate with? She stepped back slowly, but kept her hands clasped tightly to his. She grinned over at her brother, who was standing uncomfortably next to Usagi and the queen. "I take it you've realized that this makes Chang your cousin, too?"

"Don't remind me," he groaned emphatically. He grinned a little, though. "Wanna know what I am?" He asked excitedly.

Rei didn't miss the way he'd glanced at Hotaru. "Oh, Lord. Well, you _are _Shinigami, afterall. Can't say I'm surprised."

"With a touch of Mercury, too," he added, with a wink at Ami. "Seems we've both gained some cousins this week."

"We're not cousins," Ami snickered. "You and Taru, yes, you're first cousins."

"Wait, Duo's a royal, too?" Rei asked in surprise. Her brother had never struck her as princely, so this was a shock.

Ami shook her head. "He's on the male side. It's difficult to explain. Technically, yes, he's a royal, if you think of things in comparison to say, European society. He would be a duke or a viscount. The status of being a royal is passed down from the female side of the family, with a few exceptions, such as the Mars royal family."

############

Quatre panted for air as Minako tugged him around another corner. "We're almost there, you big sissy!" She giggled.

The pilot of Zero Four certainly hoped so; she'd been dragging him for blocks towards the Venus quarter of the city. He knew they were getting close, though, a few blocks back, the style of clothing had drastically changed to match what Minako was wearing. Tops were scant and sheer, and sometimes completely non-existent, even among the females. And what covered them below the waist… his neck nearly turned 360 degrees. Was that woman completely naked!

"We're here!" Mina chirped happily. "Come on," she grunted, and got behind him and pushed him up the stairs. "Don't worry, we're not going to bite." She thought that over for a second, and corrected herself. "Well, most of us won't. I'm sure there'll be a few women in here who'll see those lovely muscles of yours and want to nibble on you a bit."

Quatre barely had time to gaze up at the Temple of Venus before he was rushed inside by his cousin. He choked when Mina rushed ahead of him to a cubby and started stripping right in front of him. "Minako, what are you doing?" He hissed.

Mina threw back her head and laughed as she shrugged into a sheer sleeveless gown. She was wearing underwear, but no bra. "Sorry, Quatre, I should have explained better." She pointed at his chest. "Off with the shirt. Since you're new, they'll probably still let you wear those pants. Come on, come on," she said with a roll of her eyes. A priestess was approaching them, so she hurriedly stepped forward and started to unbutton his silk shirt.

"He's new?" The priestess asked with a hint of amusement.

"Hai," Mina said with a grin. "Kimiko, this is my cousin, Quatre. Quatre, this is Kimiko. She's a priestess of Venus."

Quatre nodded respectfully, trying to keep his eyes off of the woman's voluptuous bare body. "Sorry," he said roughly, "but I'm just not used to seeing this much skin."

Kimiko gave a little laugh and an understanding nod. "It's something you'll grow used to as you spend more time with us. Venusians don't cover their bodies in embarrassment, like everyone else. We embrace our bodies, revel in our sexual power. Not that being naked is always about sex," she added quickly. "It's about being free, and being comfortable with yourself and others. Don't worry, we're not a bunch of psychotic nymphos running around and fucking each other randomly." She looked to Minako and lifted an eyebrow. "He doesn't need the full male training, still, does he?"

Minako shrugged. "It never came up." She grinned at her cousin. "You still a virgin, cousin?"

"That's none of your business," he said flatly. He coughed when Kimiko crossed her arms under her large, full breasts and stared at him seriously. Under her heavy stare, he finally answered. "_No_, I'm not. I don't see how this is relevant, Minako."

Minako sputtered, trying to hide her embarrassment over her difficult cousin. "Males receive training in how to make a woman… happy." God, she felt like she was explaining this to Ami or Usagi for the first time, and not a man that was five years her senior. "These questions are _standard_, Quatre, they're asked so we know what you need training in."

Kimiko's lips twitched as she asked the next question. "Since you're not a virgin, young man, I suppose we can skip the lessons in kissing. But have you made a woman come?" She laughed when his jaw dropped and he turned crimson. "Answer the question," she chuckled.

"Yes," he finally wheezed. "Please tell me I don't have to go into detail," he begged.

"No, you don't. What's the longest you ever lasted with a woman?" When his face became indignant, she tamped down the urge not to laugh. Goddess, this was entertaining, and Minako was obviously trying to contain her mirth as well.

"I don't know," Quatre said quickly, growing flustered by these extremely personal questions. When she just continued to wait patiently for his answer, he thought it over for a moment. "Fifteen minutes? Wait," he asked nervously, "is that after penetration or before?"

"After," the priestess answered with amusement. "One would hope you drug out the foreplay for more than just fifteen minutes. Unless, of course, it was a hurried, secret coupling?" She asked with amusement. "I'm just teasing, boy, come on." She beckoned for him to follow, and led them deeper into the temple.

"What are they doing over there?" Quatre asked curiously. "Are they dancing?" A couple was moving together, slowly, sensuously, but they never once touched. He couldn't help but think of Makoto when the male thrust his hips towards the female and her body arched as if she had actually felt him inside of her.

Minako and Kimiko both giggled. "Something like that," his cousin answered. "That's part of the dance of Aphrodite. They're practicing the dance for a public show."

"In public?" Quatre grimaced when he heard the squeak in his own voice.

"Children won't be allowed to watch the performance," Mina assured him. "Only age sixteen and up can watch this dance."

His embarrassment shifted to curiosity as he watched the woman move her feet intricately in a circular dance around the man. The man's gaze was hot and lustful as she reached out a hand to touch him, then pulled it away at the last moment. "Only Venusians learn his dance?" He asked with interest. He marveled at the restraint both of them were showing when the woman leaned forward and brought her lips less than an inch away from the man's mouth. If Makoto had done that to him, they'd both be on the floor.

Minako grinned at Kimiko when the priestess raised a questioning eyebrow. "He's courting the Princess of Jupiter," she explained softly.

"Well then, maybe we can teach you a few steps," she offered. "I don't see why we can't let them both try it." She shook her head after a moment. "_After _you've made love to her, of course. I won't have you two rolling around on the floor in here," she said with amusement.

"How do you know we haven't already?" Quatre asked, his eyes still on the dancers, studying every movement.

"Boy, I'm a priestess of Venus. I know that look of longing when I see it. I doubt you've done more than give her a few little kisses." She smiled with satisfaction when he looked away from the dancers and blushed. "See, I'm always right. It seems you're over the nudity taboo." Kimiko nodded when he shrugged. "Good, maybe we can teach you a thing or two about wooing that little spitfire."

###########

"Maybe I'm doing it wrong," Wufei complained. "Damn it, Rei, I've been meditating for years, and I've _never _had a vision."

"Grandfather?" Rei asked hopefully. She was just as new to this as her cousin, she shouldn't have been trying to teach him.

"He may not be a seer, child. Not all Mars' are. Some of them just have an uncanny intuition. They can _all _call on the fire, however." Hiroto took a seat next to what he was starting to think of as his nephew, and clasped his hand. "Close your eyes, son. Sometimes being calm doesn't bring out the flame. Sometimes it takes a strong emotion."

"Such as?"

"Anger. Let's try that first."

"Well, that should be easy enough," Rei chuckled.

"Hush, Granddaughter," Hiroto said a little sharply. "The temple is not a place to pick on your cousin. He's trying to learn. I didn't pick on you when you set yourself on fire, did I?"

"Sorry, Grandfather," Rei said ashamedly. "Sorry, Chang," she added quietly.

"It's ok," Wufei said quietly. He focused on the one thing that always made him angry; his inability to save Meilan. He pictured her face, how it had appeared on his vidscreen as he'd pleaded with her to come back, to disengage. He felt the rage flow through him as he remembered the explosion that had engulfed her mobile suit, the last fleeting image he'd seen of her face before her camera had cut to black. The flames in his mind became a part of him and burned with the intensity of his anger, and he found himself gasping for air.

Rei grabbed a robe from the table and threw it over Wufei, hugging him tightly with it to extinguish the fire he'd produced. "Chang!" She shook him a little bit when he growled at her. "Wufei!" She snapped. She pulled the robe off of him and was relieved to see his coal black eyes open. "You caught on fire," she explained. "You'll learn to control it, don't worry." Three more days of working with her grandfather, and she could already conjure the flame without it burning her. "See?" She pulled back and let the fire engulf her hands. "With a little time," she said with a grin, "you and I can spar."

Wufei couldn't help but return the grin. The idea of sparring with her was a little exciting, he'd seen the intense, destructive dance of death that she performed with Heero in the gym on a regular basis. "Better have Aunt Chigusa handy to heal the burns," he said dryly.

##############

Makoto easily dodged her oldest brother's punch, and sidestepped to come behind him as his momentum carried him forward. She smacked him in the back of the head, open-handed, and chuckled. "Come on, Trowa, you can't be scared to hit me just because I'm a girl. Heero doesn't seem to have a problem with it."

Trowa snorted without humor. "Have you _seen _him spar with Rei? Those two beat the shit out of each other."

"And just like them, we have a moon on hand to heal any damage. This is _training_, Trowa. We're pulling our punches, anyway. Now, if you want to learn to throw lightning, you have to be faster. Juptonian fighting is all about speed, quick strikes, just like lightning. Come on Heero; show him how it's done." She winked at her other brother as he stripped off his shirt and tossed it to the side.

"Heero, do you pull your punches with Rei?" Trowa asked out of curiosity.

The pilot of Zero One shrugged. "Of course. I'd never hit her with the intention of really hurting her. You, though?" His lips twitched a little. This wouldn't be the first time he'd sparred with Trowa, so he didn't study his brother when Trowa took a fighting stance.

They circled for a moment, waiting for the other to make the first move, when Trowa dashed forward and struck first. Copying Mako's previous move, Heero dodged and sidestepped to come behind his older brother. Instead of smacking him on the back of the head, however, he delivered a jolt with his fist to his shoulder.

Trowa gasped at the sensation of electricity leaping through him, and quickly danced out of Heero's reach. "When do you learn that?"

"He kind of figured it out," Makoto said, wincing at how Heero had snuck up on her earlier and given her the worst static shock of her life. She'd about pissed herself. "Makes you wonder," she added, "how badly we would have zapped the shit out of each other growing up."

The memory of being shocked as a child snapped Trowa's head up, and he stared at Heero. "_You_," he whispered, and stopped moving. "We were playing as children, I remember it. In a tree, just behind the temple." Trowa's head rested on his hand as he closed his eyes in memory. "Someone came up behind me and shocked me, and I fell out of the tree." He smiled a little, then chuckled. "You were crying harder than I was, you thought you'd killed me."

Heero felt a pang of emotion at the sound of Trowa's voice, and in a rare moment of sentiment, he stepped forward and hugged his brother. "It wasn't fair."

Makoto stepped forward and hugged the both of them to her. "No, it wasn't," she agreed, her voice thick with tears. "But we have each other now. We can make up for lost time."

Trowa shook his head a little, and rested his chin on the top of her head. Another memory came to him, one of him holding a baby with chestnut hair and eyes that matched his own. His mother had laid the newborn in his arms and urged him to be careful. "No, Mako," he whispered. "Our childhoods are gone. Nothing can replace those."

Mako smiled, the action marred by only a hint of sadness. "You boys know how to play tag?" She asked.

They both looked down at her. "Of course we know how to play tag," Heero snorted. "It was part of speed training as a child."

"Yeah, but you've never played it with a Princess of Jupiter," she said with a grin.

"We're about to get the piss shocked out of us, aren't we?" Heero asked.

"I suggest you go use the bathroom first. I'll meet you out back."

Makoto was waiting in the tree for them, resting in the crook of a large branch. She grinned when they both crossed their arms and gave her identical stares. "Ok, boys, the rules are pretty much the same." She slid down from the branch and landed in a crouch before straightening her skirt. "The tree is the safe-zone if you need a breather. No angel guarding the tree, either. No zapping across distances, only zap-touching is allowed. Nothing stronger than a cattle-prod."

Trowa shook his head. "But I don't know how to zap," he said with a shrug.

"Oh, I'm sure once Heero nails you, you'll figure it out." Makoto snickered. "Grandmother once told me that Heero liked to drop from the middle of nowhere just to zap you and run away. You beat the shit out of him a couple times, though."

Heero smiled sadly. He wished he could remember these things; he was jealous of Trowa's ability to remember a few things here and there, but Heero had simply been too young. He only remembered Odin Lowe, the man that had taken him in and raised him, had loved him like a son and taught him how to live as well as a battle-hardened soldier could.

"You ok, oneesan?" Makoto hadn't been ignorant to the sadness that seemed to hang over her brother ever since they'd discovered they were siblings. She knew how he felt, she also longed for that closeness between brother and sister. She knew what it was like to have a gaping hole inside of her that should have been filled with hugs and kisses, childhood games… a scraped knee that an older brother could have kissed and made better… a bully they could have beaten up in her defense… a brother to hold her when she cried at night because she wanted a mother who had died before she could even walk. She blinked away the tears that had snuck into her eyes. "Come on," she said, clearing her throat, "let's play."

It started out as a training session for Heero and Trowa, both of them ducking and dodging each other, trying to touch the other without being touched. Until Makoto had joined in, anyway. She'd stood by the tree and watched them, and rolled her eyes a few times. They were turning something fun into something serious, a type of practice for really killing someone. Well, at its core, that's what zap-tag was, but damn it, it was supposed to be _fun_, and neither of these boys knew the meaning of the word.

She stepped away from the tree, out of the safe-zone, and waited for one of them to draw close to her. They were completely blind to her presence, since both of their concentrations were locked on each other. Heero nearly backed into her, and she poked her finger into his bare back, sending a jolt through him.

He jumped in surprise and whirled around to punch her out of pure adrenaline, but she ducked easily and skipped out of his reach. Heero gaped at her for a moment, then set his jaw in a hard line. "You're going to pay for that, Mako."

"Good," she said lightly. "About time you decided to actually play the game."

He rushed at her, only to jump again when she dashed around him and zapped him again. She barely dodged Trowa, who was trying to sneak up behind her, and zapped his shoulder as she passed him.

Trowa yelped a little bit and rubbed the spot where she'd touched him, then jumped again when Heero got him from behind. Pure reflex took over, and he shoved his brother. Electricity leapt from his hand, and his eyes widened when Heero flew to the ground. "Holy shit! Heero, are you ok?"

Makoto rushed to his side and checked his pulse. "He's fine," she let out in a rush of air. She'd been holding her breath without even realizing it. "Dial it down the next time, TrowAAAAAAH!" She screamed at the end as a shock ran through her, starting in her arm and running through her body and into the ground. "Oh, you cheater!" She yelled at Heero, and zapped him back just as hard. If she hadn't been yelping from the little jolts he kept sending through her, she would have been laughing when he rolled on top of her and pinned her to the ground.

"I win," he said with something close to glee.

"No, you don't," Trowa huffed, and zapped Heero in the neck. He laughed when both his brother and sister barked as the shock jumped to her as well.

Heero let her up, and they both turned on the eldest of them, a sense of solidarity between them as they got on either side of Trowa and rushed in to teach him a lesson. Trowa moved smoothly out of the way, and chuckled when they nearly ran into each other. "Hey, Mako, I'm not the one that cheated," he reminded her.

Makoto and Heero glanced at each other for a moment, and she smiled. "I'll get you after we gang up on Trowa."

"Deal," Heero said quickly, and grinned as he and his sister approached their older brother.

#########

"No, no, **no**! Quatre, you have to be _dominant. _Your dancing should be _hard, masculine_!" Ayane snapped in frustration. The dancing instructor was ready to rip her hair out; she'd been working with him for an hour, and he still couldn't dance a simple ritual dance, one that was used to show a woman that a man was interested in her.

She'd assumed by his muscular, hard body that he would be a perfect candidate to teach, and had entertained the idea of having him dance in May during Golden Week. The Venusians held a festival on May Day similar to the Celtic holiday, Beltane, and celebrated the glory of man and woman. The dance she was teaching him was an easy dance, one that her youngest novices could perform after only an hour. Quatre had already learned the steps of the dance, but his execution was terrible. "You dance like a girl," she said simply.

Minako shrugged in apology. "Sorry, Ayane. It's not exactly like he's attracted to me. Shit, I'm his cousin." Minako knew the dance well from when she was fifteen; plenty of boys had danced it with her during Golden Week. The female part was easy, she just pretty much stood there and let the man declare dominance over her while he turned her and moved her in time with his body.

Ayane approached him and stared up at him in annoyance. "You have a woman, yes?" She asked bluntly.

Quatre shrugged, and made sure he didn't back up a step when she leaned in to peer at him. God, this woman was tiny; he could throw her over his shoulder and break her in two. But she was also intimidating as hell; he wondered if he should pity any lover that she may have. "Sorry?"

"Ugh, he says sorry!" Ayane threw her hands up in frustration, her breasts swaying with the movement under the sheer gauze she wore. She tucked a few graying strands behind her ear and studied Quatre for a moment. "Alright, boy," she huffed, her accent heavy in her irritation, "you dance it with me this time. But you're _not _dancing with me; you're dancing it with your woman. Picture her in your mind, think of her, when you move. You want her, yes?" When he gave a little nod, her smile was sharp. "You want to possess her, dominate her? Be the only man in the world for her? Good!" she spat, when he nodded at each question.

Minako leaned against the wall and sighed when the music started. Suggesting this to Kimiko had been a bad idea. She nearly groaned when Quatre began the dance again, and moved lightly, softly, around his partner. "You're doing it again, cousin. Think of Mako." She watched his jaw lock in concentration, and gasped with delight when he suddenly moved against Ayane sharply, and pulled her against him roughly. The fluidity of his motions was still there, but the softer qualities were melting away right before her eyes.

He spun Ayane away from him, then back into his waiting arms, turning her, using her like a plaything. But all he saw was Makoto, her eyes gleaming with pleasure, glazing with lust as she gazed at him. He moved against her hard, growled when she gasped with desire.

Ayane huffed a little with amusement when the dance ended, and he was bent over her like he was going to kiss her, holding her against him like a lover. Which was how he was supposed to have done it the first twenty times. "You must have a very good imagination to still think this wrinkly old body is your Mako," she said tartly.

Quatre had the courtesy to blush, and set her carefully on her feet. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Got caught up in the moment."

The dance instructor gave an earthy old laugh, and patted him on the shoulder, "Boy, I've had dance partners do far worse than that in the heat of the moment, don't you worry. That was good. Very good. You dance like that for your Mako, she'll be pudding in your arms." She stepped back onto the markings on the floor that indicated the starting point of the dance, and waved him over. "Again, boy, just like last time."


	23. Chapter 23

**Reina, thank you so much for pointing out my spelling mistake with Oniisan and Oneesan. I'll go back and make corrections at some point, thank God it's not a word I use in a lot of chapters. I haven't spoken Japanese in something like 7-8 years, since my friend Maho went back to Japan. I get similar words mixed up like that all the time, I'll have to tell her about it later so she can call me a baka and laugh at me. :P**

Chapter 23

Having been Shinigami since he could remember, Duo had no problem harnessing destructive powers. He looked at the crumpled metal ball on the floor with a hint of pride. He'd done that. "Can I undo it, Taru?" He asked curiously.

His tiny cousin shrugged. "You can try, but smoothing out all the wrinkles will take some skill." She nodded with approval when the metal bar straightened back out, but tapped Duo on the shoulder when his face started turning red. "Remember to breathe, cousin," she giggled.

Duo drew in some air and looked at the bar on the floor. It was straight, but still looked like shit. "I'll never be able to do this right."

"Duo, it's been one day," Hotaru said with a smile. "Come on, we'll take a break for a little bit and work on some other stuff."

Duo did as he'd been doing, and simply followed his cousin like a lost puppy. The temple was huge, easily one of the biggest buildings on the island, since it housed the SMF's most potent weapons. He'd met a few of his cousins, had seen what they could do, and frankly couldn't help but be a little intimidated by it all. Maybe he'd go annoy Ami for a while and learn about his Mercury heritage later. They finally stopped in a room filled with beds, but almost all of them were empty. "Where are we?"

"The infirmary." She grabbed him by the hand and drew him to a bed that a healer directed her to, where a woman was obviously trying not to yell. Hotaru tried not to laugh when Duo's eyes got wide at the sight of the woman's large belly. "It's ok, cousin."

"Hime," the woman gasped, "get this whelp out of me, please."

"I can try," Hotaru said softly. She gingerly lifted the cover over the woman's legs and took a peek. She put on a glove and felt around for a moment. "You're at ten centimeters, but the baby hasn't turned."

"I know," the woman growled, and cried out as a contraction tore through her back. "We were waiting on a healer that had the power to move things, too," she panted. "Glad they sent for you."

The woman didn't need to know that it was blind luck that had brought her here, so she just smiled and patted her leg. "Ok…" She knew the woman's face, but for the life of her, couldn't remember her name.

"Akiko," she gasped. She gratefully took Duo's hand in hers when he offered it, and squeezed it tightly. "Do what you need to do, Hime."

The Princess of Saturn bared the woman's belly, and laid her hand on it. "Ok, Akiko. This is going to be uncomfortable." She slowly, carefully, took hold of the baby with her mind, and turned her so that her head was down, taking care to keep the cord out of the way. She eased her down into Akiko's birth canal before nodding.

Duo gasped when the pregnant woman gripped him so hard that he could feel the bones in his hand grinding together. God, if this was what every woman went through, he was _never _getting Usagi pregnant. Ok, he was getting a little ahead of himself, but still; this had to be a nightmare. He studied Akiko's face as she bore down in concentration, and pushed when Hotaru instructed her to do so. God, if it were him, he'd be screaming his fucking head off. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her in admiration. And he thought that _he _was a soldier; shit, this woman was a real warrior, and the birthing bed was her battlefield.

"One more push, Akiko, you're doing great!" Hotaru shouted with encouragement. "Here's the head, come on, push for me!" She caught the baby deftly and when she let out a powerful cry, she laid her on her mother's chest. She rubbed her thigh soothingly with her bloody glove. "You did great, Akiko." She bent back down to take care of the cord and await the afterbirth.

Duo studied the squalling infant with interest, the way she latched onto her mother's breast when Akiko cradled her against it. "Wow." That was all he could say, this was just insanely amazing.

"Yeah," Akiko agreed dryly, "you try it."

"Thanks, I'll pass," he chuckled. "She's beautiful," he said with a hint of embarrassment. "What are you going to name her?"

"Tomoe," she said, and smiled when Hotaru peeked up at her. "Hime, you likely saved us both, so she should bear your name."

"Here, Duo, put on some gloves and clamp and cut the cord for me," Hotaru ordered.

He'd help Rei do this very thing on the farm plenty of times, and it wasn't any different than then. Once the cord was clamped and cut, another healer came and took the baby to clean her up and give the mother a break.

"Alright, Duo," Hotaru chirped brightly. "Lesson time, get down here!"

He just stared at his cousin. Was she fucking serious? He tried not to blush when he found himself tugged down to where she was, and staring at Akiko's vagina. "Oh, Lord."

"What, Duo, never seen one up close?" Hotaru teased. She laughed when his face turned bright red. "It's ok, you're going to have to learn this sooner or later."

"I think I'd rather go back to destroying shit," he admitted.

Hotaru regarded him seriously and shook her head. "No, Duo, being a Saturn is not just about destruction. It's also about creation. Part of that is healing, and by healing this woman right now, she'll be able to walk around and immediately return to her normal routine while still caring for her child. She won't be bedridden for several days. Now, take off your gloves and was your hands, you need skin-to-skin contact for this. I only put them on to keep from getting germs on the baby."

"Ok." Duo took off his gloves and cringed. "Show me what to do, cuz."

#################

Makoto eyed Minako suspiciously. "What kind of dance? It's not some kinky sex dance, is it?"

"No," Mina laughed. "But Quatre did show quite an interest in the dance of Aphrodite. That's only done between established lovers, though. This dance is simple, and the ladies' part is so easy you can learn it in a few minutes. You don't even need a partner."

After watching Mina do the steps for a moment, the Princess of Jupiter frowned. "Why bother doing this dance at the festival if it's so simple? Won't it be boring?" Minako grinned at her mischievously. "Never mind. I guess the man's part is a bit more interesting?"

"Trust me, Mako; it's nothing to be worried about. For a Venusian love dance, it's _very _modest."

"What? This is a _love _dance? I'm done, I don't need to learn it."

Minako sighed and crossed her arms impatiently. "Look, Mako, this is supposed to be a surprise for you. Quatre cares about you very deeply. I feel it every time he walks in the room and looks at you. Don't you care for him, too?" She didn't really need to ask, she felt the waves of emotion coming off of her friend. She took a seat next to her friend and rubbed her back in soothing circles. "You were so excited when he kissed you for the first time. What went wrong, honey?"

"Nothing went wrong," Mako answered flatly. "It just seems like he's lost interest. Whenever he kisses me, I feel this need for more, but I don't get it. He just keeps it light."

"He's afraid of scaring you off, Mako," Mina chuckled. "Trust me, if you'd seen him practicing this dance with Ayane…" She bit back a grin when she felt a wave of jealousy from Makoto. "She's the dance instructor, Mako. And she's thirty years his senior. We made him pretend he was dancing with you, and when he did… _wow_. Trust me, honey, that man is red hot for you."

"Like Trowa is for you?" Mako grinned with satisfaction when Mina turned red. Payback was a bitch. "He likes you a lot, I can tell. His jaw tightened when I asked him what he thought about you. He refused to answer."

Minako sighed. "He's hardly said a word to me. He barely even spoke to me when we danced at the ball."

"He _is _my brother, Mina-chan. I can talk to him for you." She grinned when her friend looked up and shook her head. "Aw, come on. I'll talk to Trowa, you talk to Quatre."

"You actually want me to talk to Quatre for you?" Mina asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "I really like him. If you say something to him, just tell him you felt it coming off of me with your empathy powers."

##############

"Triton Kino," Makoto snapped at her brother. She noted his hesitation before he looked up at her. "That's right, I'm talking to you."

"What did I do?" He asked blandly. He hid a smile; it was strangely pleasant to be bitched at by a baby sister. He hadn't had the pleasure since Catherine had moved away.

"It's what you _haven't_ done." She rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch next to him when he gave her a blank stare. "Minako, you big idiot."

"What was I supposed to have done, then, in regards to Minako?" He felt a curious warmth spread through him when his sister snuggled in next to him and laid her head on his shoulder, as if she'd been doing it for years.

"Trowa, if I have to tell you, you really are the biggest retard alive," she answered dryly.

"Mako, she hasn't shown an interest in me since the dance."

She groaned in frustration. "Neither have you, baka! Go fucking _talk _to her already!"

God, this was fun. "About what?"

"Trowa, I'm going to have to zap you, aren't I?" Makoto turned her eyes up to look at him. His eyes were laughed at her, even though his mouth was set in a straight line. "Mina is crushing on you really hard, but girls aren't supposed to make the first move. You have to go and make. A. Move." She poked him with a little shock to punctuate each word, and the electricity got him moving.

"Fine. And when she doesn't want anything to do with me?"

Makoto's smile was all he needed to know that she knew what Minako wanted. "She's in the temple, probably. I'd go find her."

###########

Trowa found her in the temple, alright. His eyes were nearly falling out of his head at the sight of her in a sheer robe, which left absolutely nothing to the imagination above the waist. She was dancing with Quatre, and the way they were moving against each other… "I thought you two were cousins?"

Minako froze and laughed at the sight of the shock on Trowa's face. "I'm just helping Quatre practice."

"Practice for what?" God, he almost didn't want to know what his best friend was practicing for... hopefully it didn't have anything to do with his sister.

"Mako," Quatre said softly. He smiled when Trowa looked like he was going to throw up. No one else would have noticed the twitch in his face but him and the other pilots. "It's just a dance, Trowa. It's a Venus thing."

He couldn't even process the fact that Quatre was actually practicing to seduce his baby sister, and focused on Minako. Ok, shit. He couldn't process the sight of her, either. The sight of her perfect golden body just made him want to look at her for the rest of his life… it wouldn't be a wasted life, either, staring at such perfection.

"Are you ok, Trowa-san?" Mina asked gently. She walked up to him and felt his forehead, and felt his lust slam into her like a freight train. "Oh, that." She glanced down quickly at her attire and blushed fiercely at the way she was brushing against him. For the first time in her life, she felt the urge to cover herself up, even though she'd been raised to embrace her natural beauty. She shyly stepped away from him. "It's a Venus thing," she said weakly.

"Seems there are a lot of Venus things…" Trowa cleared his throat at the sound of how rough his voice was becoming. "Um, you two about finished for the evening?"

Quatre gave his friend a knowing smile and winked at him. "Minako, I'm going to practice with one of the other dancers for a little bit. You look tired, why don't you let Trowa walk you back to the palace?" When his cousin looked at him, he winked at her for an entirely different reason. "And I understand about Mako. I'll go pay her a visit in a little while."

Mina grinned at him. "Damn right you will." She heard Trowa huff from behind her and shot him a look. "And you're not going to interfere with my meddling, do you hear me?"

Mina was meddling to get Quatre and his sister together? Oh God, that's all he needed, the princess of love and beauty set against him. Well, despite his protective feelings for Makoto, she was a grown woman, even older than Rei, and with more than enough fight in her. If she didn't want to endure a man's advances, she'd shut him down quickly. "I hear you," he finally answered. His eyes nearly popped out of his head again when he followed Mina to a cubby in the wall and she simply stripped off her lingerie-looking gown to pull on a bra.

"Hook me?" She asked with a smile. She couldn't help but lick her lips when his fingers lingered against her bronze skin. "Thanks," she said, almost shyly. She stepped into a sundress and pulled it on before slipping into a pair of heels. "Alright, ready to face the world outside of the Venus quarter," she said with a grin.

"I assume you mean getting dressed?" He'd noticed the lack of clothing on his way here; he just hadn't really _looked _until he'd seen Mina half-naked.

"It's a Venus thing," she answered lamely. "Quatre's still dealing with the culture shock, I think, but he's adapting well. There's no shame in being comfortable with your body." Mina led him out of the temple and grabbed his hand when he tried to turn left. "No, not that way," she said quickly. As hard as she tried, she was unable to hide the humor from her voice.

"Why not? That direction would be faster, wouldn't it?"

"Well, ok, but you'll probably wind up with an erection the size of your Gundam," she said bluntly. "That section isn't typically visited by anyone other than Venusians; the area you came through is the public square. Trust me, you don't want to walk that way just to have a girl's powers creep out and snare you."

"Wait, how do the men here guard against that sort of thing?" Did they just have constant crazy sex down there?

Minako gave him a patient smile. "If Quatre were to walk down there, he might feel a bit of a pull, and he could let it ensnare him if he wanted it to. He's a Venus, he can guard against that sort of thing. You…" She looked him up and down, and not without interest. "…are fresh meat. Come on." She tugged his hand in the right direction, and was pleased with the little thrill she felt run through him. "I'm hungry, we can get something to eat in the square."

Trowa let the stunning blonde drag him every which way, down backstreets and alleys, until they reached a little eatery. He found himself a little dazzled by her when she gave him a bright smile, and didn't protest when she pulled him into a booth.

"No, I've got it," she insisted, when he reached into his pocket to pay. "Just put it on my tab," Mina instructed the waitress. She snorted with laughter when the waitress turned and Trowa's eyes bugged out a little bit. Their server was wearing an apron, but not much else underneath it. "Trust me, it's something you get used to in this quarter."

"An interesting place to grow up?"

Minako shrugged. "Not really. Different, I suppose, from what most people are used to, but then, I suppose being raised as a warrior would have been an interesting way to grow up. I'm sure you don't think so, though."

Trowa inclined his head. "Touché."

"I heard you had a fun game of zap-tag with Heero and Mako this afternoon," she said with a giggle.

Trowa rubbed his forehead in memory. It still stung a little when he touched the spot where his sister had gotten him. Heero had followed up with a cattle-prod-strength shock to get him back for knocking him senseless. Then he and his little sister had ganged up on Heero to get him back for cheating.

Minako found herself melting a little when Trowa's mouth slowly drew up in a smile. Goddess, he could really stand to do that more often. "I wish I had a brother. Well, Quatre's quickly becoming like one. It's nice to have some family, since I don't see my parents much."

"Where are they?"

"Delegations, meetings, that sort of thing. If you stick around, you'll be subjected to the same thing. Same as Makoto and Heero, since you're all the oldest royals of your house. You have another sister, don't you? Where is she?"

Mina thanked the waitress when their food arrived, and smiled understandingly when Trowa stared at the single plate in the middle of the table. "Sorry, I didn't think to ask her for separate plates."

"A Venus thing?" He asked with a hint of humor in his eyes. He looked down at the American food she'd ordered; cheesy fries and chicken fingers.

"Yeah, sorry." She blushed with a hint of embarrassment. "When a man and a woman share a meal, they typically share a plate if they're… well, together. It's been awhile since I've been home, I didn't think about it."

He noted her blush with interest. "It's alright, I don't mind," he answered honestly. In fact, he was enjoying the jealous glances he was getting from the other men in the diner, and by the way Mina was glancing around and turning a deeper shade of red, she'd noticed the looks, too. He ate a fry and enjoyed the feel of empty calories entering his stomach; he'd skipped lunch, since he'd felt a little nauseous after playing zap-tag. "Catherine's my other sister," he said, finally answering her question. "She's married, and lives on L3, but she's pregnant again, so she can't travel."

"Aw. Girl or boy?" Mina sucked a little cheese off her finger, totally ignorant of the way Trowa was watching the motion of her finger slipping into her mouth.

"I don't know; I gave Catherine a lot of grief during the war." He sighed a little. "We're slowly getting back to being brother and sister again." He didn't shrug off her hand when she covered his and squeezed it gently.

"The war ruined a lot of things. We're trying to prevent that this time." She shyly pulled her hand away when she felt the warmth coming from him, directed at her, and reached for a chicken finger to give herself something to do.

"If what happened to me and my siblings can be prevented from happening to someone else, anything we have to do will be worth it," he said softly. He felt a little rush of pleasure when he reached for a fry and his hand brushed against hers. "So," he began, desperately needing a change of subject, "what else is Quatre being trained in?" His eyes smiled when she visibly brightened.

"Well, Kimiko wanted him to work in massage next, and tomorrow I'm going to start training him in earth-fighting, since that's my real forte." She frowned when his face flickered with surprise for a moment. "What?"

"Well, it's just that… I didn't think any type of fighting would be your forte." He lifted one shoulder and dropped it. "I figured all the love powers would be your thing."

Oh, she was so not getting on that subject with him yet. Minako couldn't hide a blush of embarrassment. Well, he didn't have to know it was embarrassment, it's not like he knew her secret. It would come out eventually, but she hoped it wouldn't be soon. "I'm sturdier than you think," she finally said. "You know, the zap-tag game gave me an idea," she said quickly. God, they needed to get away from the love power subject, posthaste. "As kids, we all used games to learn our powers. Well, most of them, anyway. It's not such a bad idea. I might get a couple of the others together tomorrow, and we'll teach Quatre how to play dodge-clod."

"Is it like zap-tag?"

"You ever played dodgeball in gym class?" She grinned when he nodded. "Same concept. We go out to a field that no one minds us destroying…" She laughed at a memory of her and some of her friends tearing up her mother's flowerbeds when she was little. God, how they'd run when she came outside and started screaming! "…and we fling huge pieces of dirt at each other. The goal is to be able to rip a chunk out with enough force to send it flying at the other team. If it hits, they're out. If they catch it, you're out."

"Maybe we could make a game that mixes all the powers, so all of us can train together." They both reached for the last fry, and Trowa kindly offered it to her.

Mina considered this, but shook her head slowly. "It would be a very complicated game, Trowa. What I worry about the most would be Rei and Wufei setting us all on fire, or Duo losing control on his powers of destruction. I haven't even started training Quatre in his Venus powers because I don't want him to lose control of them at a bad moment."

"What happens then?" Trowa asked curiously.

Mina snickered, and tried to hide the action with her hand. "You boys would have your hands full, trust me." When he smirked at her, she shook her head. "No, you really don't know. It would likely affect all of the girls, and if I was nearby, it could cause a chain reaction, setting off my powers, and then, well… it would be pretty messy. No pun intended."

"I thought other Venusians could resist another's powers?" Trowa noted the little shake of her head and her refusal to answer, but didn't press the subject. Maybe it depended on the strength of the Venus unleashing them.

"Come on, let's get out of here." She smiled, grateful that he wasn't trying to weasel an answer out of her. She let him leave the tip, then tugged him out of the diner by the hand. "It's getting late, we should get back."

Trowa nodded his agreement, and was about to protest when she led them down a dark alley, but decided she knew the Venus quarter better than he did. He frowned when a few teenage boys whistled and made suggestive remarks as they approached. He unconsciously tightened his grip on her and shifted himself between her and the boys.

"Don't worry about them," she muttered, when she felt his anger swamping her. "They're just past puberty; they probably started their training recently." She stiffened and her eyes narrowed when she felt them using their powers to try and draw her in.

"Minako-san! Come over here and make us men!" One called, sending his friends into fits of laughter.

Trowa felt his control slipping, and when one of them made a very descriptive remark about her anatomy, he let go of her hand, and stalked towards them. He reacted when he felt a dirt clod smack him in the back, and his fists flew out of their own volition. The boy he hit cried out, holding his broken nose. His friends rushed in to jump Trowa, but flew back when a blast of electricity flashed and struck just in front of them.

Minako rushed forward and put herself between them and Trowa, her hands pushing against his chest. "Stop, Trowa, stop," she gasped. She reached up and stroked the symbol of Jupiter on his forehead in an attempt to calm him, her hand trailing down to cup his face. "It's ok."

"No, it's not," he growled. He was glad he hadn't killed the snot-nosed brats, but he didn't regret teaching them a lesson.

Mina turned her head, and her symbol flashed in anger. "Get out of here," she barked at them. "Go to the temple and tell Kimiko what you did, and accept any punishment she gives you." When one of them scoffed at her, she took a step towards him and smacked him across the face. Her nails left four perfect scratch marks on his cheek. "_Now_. And if you don't go, I'll tell your parents what you did." That seemed to get a reaction. "That's right, Kenny, I know who the fuck you are. How do you think your mother's going to feel when she finds out you attacked the princess and her date?"

"Crazy bitch," one of them mumbled, but they all scurried when thunder rumbled above them and they saw how close Trowa was to losing control again.

Mina sighed and rested her head against his chest in an attempt to get herself under control. God, she hated it when these kids acted like jackasses, but did they really have to do it in front of a guy she actually liked? Funny, how the attention would have made her feel proud when she was seventeen, but now she was a grown woman and it only embarrassed her.

"You alright?" He asked softly. His thumb traced the symbol of Venus when she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She gave him a shaky smile. "You?"

Trowa nodded. "Sorry I lost control… why would they speak to you like that? You're their princess." He saw the sadness and regret crossing her face, and wondered what in the hell could make her feel that way. "Never mind, Mina. I'm sorry I asked."

"It's ok. Thank you, Trowa." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, and gasped when he turned into it to brush his lips against hers. She didn't pull away immediately, so that he knew the kiss was welcome. After all, he'd just defended her honor, whether he'd meant to or not.

Trowa smiled with just a hint of pride when he pulled away and watched the stunned expression on her face melt into a starry-eyed gaze. Damn, she was beautiful. He made a mental note to tell his best friend about the encounter with those punks, so Quatre could give them a good beating if he saw them in the temple. With a little bit of effort, the word would spread, and anyone would think twice before fucking with Minako again. He slid his hand back into hers and led her in the direction of the palace. At least, he thought they were going that way. "So, I'm your date?" He asked with a touch of humor.

Mina coughed. So, he'd been paying attention when she'd yelled. "I guess you are now, the rumors will spread like wildfire by morning," she huffed.

"Yes, that the stunning Princess of Venus was seen together with the new Juptonian prince." He slid his hand out of hers to drape his arm across her shoulder, and enjoyed the way she leaned into him as they walked.

"You forgot to say, '_handsome_ Juptonian prince.' It has a better ring to it." Mina wrapped her arm around his waist and felt her heart flutter a little when he absently stroked her shoulder, his thumb grazing back and forth against the bare skin. "Yeah, the rumor mill's going to have a field day with this one."

They didn't bother to separate when they finally entered the palace, despite the looks they drew from the courtiers that were still lingering in the front entrance. Trowa walked her to her room, and when she gave him a hasty farewell and opened her door, he yanked her back into his arms. "I don't get a kiss goodnight?" He asked, surprised by the husky quality to his voice. God, he'd never had a woman make him act this way.

"I-I didn't know you wanted one," Mina said rapidly. Her hand shook a little as he lowered his head and pressed his mouth against hers, and gurgled with pleasure when his tongue stroked against her lips. They parted slowly, and her tongue danced with his as he slid it into her mouth. She stopped him when his hand travelled up to cup her breast.

"Sorry," he gasped. "Too fast." He bent his mouth to hers again, but kept it light and sweet this time. He finally let her go when his hands began to itch to touch her, stroke her, make her burn for him just as he was starting to burn for her.

"Good night, Trowa," she said softly. Her breath tickled his lips, made him want to kiss her again. She seemed to sense that, though, and she quickly slipped inside her room and shut the door.

"Night," he whispered.

############

Ami fought the urge to let her eyes flutter shut, and removed her reading glasses to rub at them. "Damn it," she muttered. She took a long drink of coffee, hoping that it would keep her awake, put her glasses back on, and returned to the book she was reading on the After Colony Wars. Anything she could find to help them with their mission would be useful, and she'd been poring over books all day.

A stack of them sat to her left, most of them opened and layered across each other in a form of chaotic organization that only she could decipher. She set her current book aside and reached for one that was opened to a page on the War on the Darkness, fought millennia ago, as her people had made their exodus to Earth. She rubbed at her eyes again in frustration and fought against the tears that leapt to her eyes. She was just overtired, she knew it, and the stress she felt to come up with some sort of solution was only making her emotions unstable.

Wufei had been studying her quietly from the shadows of the Mercurian library for nearly a half an hour, and was still in awe of her ability to focus through her lack of sleep. He knew damn well the woman wasn't sleeping. He'd been watching her since he'd first met her, and the bags under her eyes had gotten so bad, the makeup she'd been using to try to hide them was no longer doing much good. He watched her eyes cloud with tears; saw her rub at them vigorously before she switched to another book. Ok, enough was enough.

He approached her steadily and laid his hand on her arm. "Come on, woman, you need to sleep."

Ami jumped as his touch, and instinctively shot a burst of cold into it. She turned to watch him shake his hand; she'd nearly frozen it. The symbol of Mars bloomed on his forehead and warmed it quickly, though. "Sorry," she gasped, you startled me. "I'll go to bed soon, let me just finish up here."

"No," Wufei said flatly. He tugged her into a standing position and nearly yelled at her when she almost toppled over. "You're out of your mind, Mizuno, you can barely even stand. Come on, the books will be waiting for you in the morning."

"No, Chang, I'm really almost done." She tried to return to her seat in an effort of token resistance, but he held her firmly against him when she nearly fell again. She made a noise when he scooped her off her feet and cradled her in his arms, but was simply too exhausted to struggle against him. "I have a room here," she sighed weakly. She pointed to his right and felt her eyes slipping shut when his rocking stride threatened to lull her to sleep.

Wufei huffed in anger when her head rolled against his shoulder and she began to doze off against him. God, he had only just picked her up, and she was so fucking tired that she couldn't stay awake long enough to get in the bed. What was wrong with this woman that she would work herself to the bone for days on end without taking care of her own needs?

If it hadn't been for him and Usagi checking up on her regularly, Ami would have likely forgotten to shower and eat something on occasion. She'd been taking her meals in the library, only leaving to use the bathroom, then returning immediately afterwards without a break. She'd take catnaps at her desk, but not on purpose; she'd usually just doze off while resting her eyes, then snap awake an hour later.

"This room?" He asked, when he reached a door. He pushed it open when she gave a faint nod, and groaned at the sight of her bedroom. Organized this woman was _not_. Books littered the room, stacked in piles here and there, just begging to be knocked over as he attempted to navigate his way around them to her bed. He growled in frustration when he saw that her bed was stacked with books, too.

Ami woke up just enough to protest when he laid her down in the one empty corner of the bed and started clearing off the covers. "No, Wufei, I know where all of those are," she whined.

"How in the hell can you find _anything_ in this room?" He bellowed.

Ami jumped a little bit at his anger, and snatched a book from his hand to lay it carefully on a pile next to the bed. "I know where everything is," she assured him, "but your moving things around will mess up the order I have in the stacks."

"Fine, then," he grunted. He made a new stack at the foot of the bed, using only the books from her bed. "Better? They're all in one place."

She nodded wearily, and her eyes slid closed again. "Thank you," she mumbled. She leaned into him when he half-lifted her to get her under the covers, and kissed his cheek. "Sorry to trouble you."

Wufei's anger left him immediately at that little gesture of affection. "No trouble at all. I'll wake you in eight hours."

"Kay," she slurred.

He kicked off his shoes, found another blanket after doing some digging—careful, of course, not to disturb her books—and laid down on top of the covers next to her. He wasn't going to take the chance of her waking in the middle of the night to return to the library. If she woke, he'd be right there to make her lay the fuck back down and rest. And if she had a problem with him sharing the bed, he'd point out that he was above the covers and they were both still fully clothed. Besides, she'd brought this on herself. He brushed the back of his hand over her hair, grateful no one was there to witness his moment of weakness. "Night, princess."


	24. Chapter 24

**Action coming your way, Topaz, I'd already planned some before you said the word! :) I likely won't update again tomorrow, yall, I have to work a 12 at the hospital, and then Monday, Turdus Primus has a holiday from school, so he'll be up my ass all day along with his partners in crime, Maximus and Minimus. So, I'll hopefully update soon! Enjoy, yall!**

Quatre sighed with disappointment. They were returning to the base in America, so there was a slim chance he'd be able to perform the dance he'd learned for the festival. "Winner, there are more important things going on than some festival dance," he chastised himself. God, after a lifetime of being selfless, you would think he could just _once_ do something for himself.

"You ok, boy?" Ayane asked. She took a seat next to him and wrapped a companionable arm around his shoulders. Dear Goddess, she could feel the misery coming off of him in waves. "It's your Mako, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he admitted sullenly. "We have to go back, so I won't be able to dance for her."

She looked him up and down, fleetingly admiring the muscles of his chest. Ah, if she were only twenty years younger, she'd show him a thing or two about another kind of dance. "Why, your feet broken or something?"

"No, but I can't very well dance for her at the festival if I'm in America. And once we're back there, I don't know how long it will be before I can return. Shit, Ayane, we're going to war."

"Boy, you can dance for her in private," she said slyly. She winked when he looked up at her. "And in _private_, you can add a few extra moves to the dance, eh?" She laughed and slapped him playfully on the shoulder when he turned crimson.

"Yeah, but in private, she can run away." God, he was moping. He never moped. "I'd hoped to get her on the spot, in public."

Ayane snorted and rolled her eyes. "Boy, you can keep her from running away, I'm sure. You're a Venus, you can have any woman you set your mind to having! Seduce the daylights out of her, show her the masculine side you've showed me on the dance floor. You do that, boy, and she'll be a hot, melting mess, begging for you to take her."

Quatre swallowed and just stared at her. God, she was something else when she got excited. "Well, I'll try," he said slowly.

"There is no try, boy! There is only doing, and you are going to do her, understand me!" She gave him another playful smack to let him know she was just teasing him. She took him by the hands and made him stand before kissing him on the cheek. "Go to her, boy. Tell her how you feel about her," she said softly. Then she leaned in and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "If she does not want you, she is a lesbian."

Quatre couldn't help but laugh at that last crack, and walked with her to the cubby where his shirt was stored. He didn't protest when she helped him button it up, that was just Ayane's way; always touchy-feely.

He gave Ayane a friendly kiss before heading out into the sunlight, and wondered about Trowa and Minako. He'd had dinner with Trowa the night before, and had gone on about his training for well over an hour, and all the things he'd learned about Venusian culture. He shook his head. No, the look Trowa had given him didn't mean anything. God, if it did, he was in serious trouble with his cousin.

He found Makoto behind the Temple of Jupiter, engaging in a game of zap-tag with some smaller children. Well, more like refereeing, since these kids were zapping each other a little harder than necessary. A little girl flew through the air, and Quatre rushed forward to check her, but stopped when Makoto halted him with a gesture.

To his surprise, the little girl jumped back up without a complaint, and ran at the boy that had gotten her. There was a wild gleam to her eyes, and she hit him back with just as much force, sending him flying.

"Damn," he mouthed to the princess. She just shrugged at him; this was a normal day at her temple.

Makoto sighed with relief when another adult showed up to take over, and she got out of the fray before she could get shocked again. "It seems the kids saw us playing it the other day, and gained a new interest in the game," she laughed, once they were out of earshot. "I've never seen them go at it this hard."

"I'm sorry, but I can't get over the fact that you let little girls play such a vicious game. Don't they cry?"

"Only if they want to get teased," Mako said a little sharply. She noted the way he flinched at her tone, and immediately felt sorry for it. "If a girl wants to play, she knows better than to join in if she doesn't want to get hurt," she added a little more softly. She smiled a little when he boldly wrapped his arm around her, and she snuggled a little closer to them as they walked.

He soaked up the feeling of comfort and happiness that she was feeling, thankful that she wasn't pushing him away anymore. He'd tried a few kisses the night before when he'd walked her to her room, and had made sure to let them convey how much he wanted her. She'd seemed a lot more interested in him since then. He turned his head to run his nose along her jawline and nip at her earlobe, and grinned sheepishly when her breath caught in her throat.

"Something on your mind?" She asked, a hint of hunger in her voice.

"You," he answered simply. "Always you."

##################

"No, Usagi, you're staying here," Serenity said firmly, "and it's not up for debate. You're the only heir to the throne."

"That wasn't a problem when you sent me to Europe two weeks ago," Usagi pointed out.

"I made a mistake!" Serenity replied, her voice nearly reaching shouting level. "I shouldn't have sent you on such a mission. Your place is here, with me, in Silver City."

"No, Mother." Usagi shook her head fiercely and fought the urge to cry. Sweet Selene, she hated arguing with her mother. She always lost, and she always wound up crying. Not this time, damn it. It was past time that she grew a backbone and stood up for what she thought was right. "The other princesses are going, with the blessings of their houses. You're being selfish, Mother! The only reason you don't want me to go is because you think there's something going on with me and Duo!" She rolled her eyes when her mother glared at her. "There's _not_! He's just a friend!" She yelled emphatically. "Read my mind if you don't believe me!" Hell, she'd only offered to let her do it a dozen times, and she never ceased to be relieved when her mother refused.

Ok, maybe she did like him a little. And he wasn't always a pervert. He just had a fucked up sense of humor, combined with the fact that he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. The only reason Serenity hated him was because he'd cracked a pretty nasty joke at the dinner table the other night, and Usagi had laughed at it. Under that smartass façade, there was a nice man that genuinely cared about her, and encouraged her to do whatever made her happy.

"You're not going with that perverted little ass, Usagi." Serenity took a seat in her armchair and shook her head.

"What, Mother? You don't think I can't defend myself if he makes an unwanted advance? Shit, you don't think the girls won't kick his ass!"

"Usagi, watch your language." Serenity rubbed her temples; she felt a migraine coming on.

"Which part?" She snapped. "You just said 'perverted little ass,' and now I can't say 'shit?'"

"Both. I shouldn't have said it, either. Usagi, you're not going," she repeated.

"Yes, I am, Mother. I'm a grown woman, and I can do what I damn well please. I _am _going; you can't keep a guard on me twenty-four-seven, and you know it."

############

Duo grinned with glee. Usagi was going with them! He'd heard all about it from his cousin, who'd been listening right outside the door, and apparently his moonrabbit had been quite fierce behind closed doors.

"Oh, God, you look way too happy for this early in the morning," Rei grumbled. She sipped at her coffee and fluffed her hair with annoyance when he looked at her and grinned even wider. "What happened?"

"Usagi stood up to her mother!" He answered gleefully. He couldn't stop moving around the room; he'd sit down for one second, then jump up again and check outside the door to see if Usagi was coming to join them for breakfast.

Rei brightened a little and nodded. "Good for her. Good for you, too, Duo. You kissed her yet?" She laughed when Duo turned and stared at her in naked horror.

"Are you _nuts!_ Serenity would ordered Haruka to ass rape me with her sword! Noooo, I'll wait until we're back home, thank you very much." He rubbed his hands in anticipation when he heard Usagi's voice coming down the corridor, and ushered her into a seat the moment she entered the room. "Usagi, the light of my life!" He said with a grin. "Hungry?"

The Princess of the Moon giggled and rolled her eyes when he gave her a bow. "Duo, I'm always hungry," she answered dryly.

"I'm at your command, moonrabbit. I am your slave." He kissed her hand, then, and winked at her when she smacked his mouth away. He grabbed a plate and filled it with fruit and a pastry from the tray a servant had brought them, and set it in front of her with a glass of juice. Then he plopped in the seat next to her just to watch her eat.

"Duo?" Usagi asked, her mouth full, after a minute of him staring at her. "You're getting a little creepy."

"Just glad you're coming with us," he said with genuine happiness.

Usagi was a little surprised when she heard his thoughts echo the exact same, and turned her head to look at him. "I'm glad, too."

#############

"Wow, Duo's got it _bad_," Rei said, as laid back down next to Heero. "He's running around, grinning like an idiot, and for the life of him he can't hold the fuck still."

"Duo's always like that," Heero grumbled, and pulled her in against him.

"No, I mean, like, _whoa_," Rei said, not sure how to describe it. "He's in love."

"So am I. You don't see me running around like an idiot." Heero smiled and kissed her softly, and rolled on top of her when she murmured with pleasure. He rested his head on her shoulder and signed with contentment. Well, compared to his old self, he _was_ running around like an idiot. No matter how hard he fought it, Rei was slowly but surely giving him back his humanity. He kissed her throat and nuzzled her. "I love you." He didn't say it often, but he always meant it.

"Love you too." Rei smiled dazzlingly at him. God, he was wonderful. "So, you hear the rumors? Mina and Trowa were seen together in the Venus quarter, and apparently he was forced to defend her honor."

"Sounds like Duo's not the only one acting out of character." Heero snorted. "Trowa mentioned something about it, but now whenever Mako mentions Minako, he gets this disturbing look on his face. Almost like he's mad at her."

"Well, you do know him best, except for maybe Quatre. How do you know he's mad?"

"His eye twitches a little. His jaw tightens when he's embarrassed. He was going back and forth between the two for a while and wouldn't talk about it when I asked him what was wrong."

"Maybe I should ask him." Rei frowned in concern for her friend.

"No." Heero shook his head against her shoulder and kissed her neck. "If he wouldn't talk about it with me or Mako, he's not going to talk, period. Let him work it out on his own. I heard some interesting gossip, too, you know." His eyes crinkled up in a smile when her attention immediately sharpened.

"Such as?"

"You and Wufei have been alternating nights at the temple, right?" He continued when she nodded. "Well, he wasn't there one night."

"What? He left Grandfather alone?" Rei growled. "I'm kicking his ass, let me up." She tried to roll out of bed, but Heero pinned her down.

"Grandfather Hino approved it. It seems he went to the Temple of Mercury to check up on Ami, but never came back." He couldn't bite back the grin that surfaced when Rei stared at him in shock. "He's spent quite a bit of time there since then, and has rarely been seen leaving the temple."

"Maybe I should go annoy him." She sighed a little, but not unhappily. "Nah, I shouldn't cock block my cousin. I'll pick up his chores in the temple until we have to leave." She sighed again, but this time it was a little unhappy. "I'm going to miss Grandfather."

"We'll come back," Heero promised. "He can marry us, unless you'd prefer Father Kesler." He raised his head and regarded her seriously when she stiffened under him. "You don't want to get married." It wasn't a question.

Rei blinked and just studied him for a moment. No, that wasn't it at all. "I thought a man usually _asked _a woman; he didn't just assume it was going to happen."

"I love you. You love me. Isn't getting married the natural course of things?" He asked matter-of-factly. It only made sense, after all. "You make me happy, Rei. I _hope_ I make you happy, at least when I'm not pissing you off. Marry me."

################

Wufei passed another book to Ami when she reached over and started looking around for it with her hand. "Thanks," she said absently, and immediately started flipping to pages she'd dog-eared the night before.

She'd been embarrassed to find him lying beside her in her bed, but she'd been grateful, as well. She really had pushed too hard that night, so hard that even if she'd found something in one of her books, she wouldn't have remembered it the next day. She couldn't even remember what she'd read about the colony wars just before he'd interrupted her. She turned her head when Wufei grunted. "What is it?"

"He's in here. Well, at least his picture is." He pushed the book to his left so she could look, too. "He looks a bit younger, but there he is, posing with his twin."

"What book is this?" Ami asked incredulously. She flipped it over to look at the cover and growled in frustration. It was one of the books she'd lined up on her bed, but Wufei had stacked them out of order. She pushed up her reading glasses and studied the picture. No point in getting mad at him, it was done, and there was nothing she could do to fix it. "Who's this man he's posing with?"

"Tsubarov." Wufei frowned deeply, and pushed the book away. "He was the man that created the mobile dolls. I killed him," he said without emotion.

Ami gently removed her glasses and set them down before looking at him. "I'm sorry." She opened her mouth again to speak, but one of the librarians slammed the door open. Her and Wufei both looked up sharply at the intrusion.

"Hime, you need to come quickly, we need all the royals." The woman hurried back out of the room when Wufei rose and grabbed Ami by the hand.

They'd reached the exit just as the air raid sirens started blaring, and the haunting, terrifying noise drove them into action.

_THIS IS NOT A DRILL! INCOMING ENEMY AIRCRAFT! EVERYONE TAKE THEIR ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTLESTATIONS! _

"Is that Usagi?" Wufei gasped.

"Yes!" Ami yelled over the noise of the sirens, and the sudden sound of thousands of people shouting back and forth and hurrying to their positions. It was pure order when there should have been chaos, and Wufei found it amazing that so many could be so disciplined in the face of an attack.

"Where do we go!"

"I need to go to the waterside, Mars' go to the main square!" Ami stopped when they reached the point where they needed to split up. She pointed to his left. "That way! Hino-san will tell you what to do!"

Wufei grabbed her by her hand and jerked her back to him when she turned to run off to the docks. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. "You be careful."

Ami just blinked and stared at him, and felt heat rising into her cheeks. "You too," she gasped. She hesitated for a heartbeat, then gave him a gentle shove. "Go! We need to hurry!"

##############

"We need to get to the square!" Makoto shoved both of her brothers towards the door, but when they stopped, she started yelling. "What are you two doing! GO!"

"We'll go get our Gundams," Trowa explained.

"NO! You can't fight in those things, not right NOW! Just get to the square and do as you're ordered!"

"We've never been very good at taking orders, Mako," Heero replied. "It's how we've survived."

"Well, you're not going to survive this battle if you take those mobile suits outside of the barrier! I'll explain on the way, but you'll have to come with me; the entire barrier depends on the royals of Jupiter and Mars." She rushed past them, and sighed with relief when she heard their footsteps pounding the pavement right behind her.

Thankfully the square wasn't far from the Temple of Jupiter, so they arrived just as Wufei, Rei, and Hiroto did. The latter two had come straight from the temple, and hadn't even had time to change out of their robes. "What do we do?" Rei asked, and looked to Makoto.

The Princess of Jupiter raised her hands to the sky, and a stream of steady of lightning flowed out of her fingertips. On cue, lightning shot up into the sky throughout the city as every other Jupiter followed her lead. All of the electricity seemed to stop at a certain altitude and spread across the sky, creating a crackling, deadly barrier.

Heero and Trowa glanced at each other, then at their sister, and raised their hands as well.

"Just a steady amount, guys," Makoto said flatly. She kept her eyes closed as she focused on feeding the barrier as necessary without draining herself too quickly. "Just enough to keep the barrier strong, and compensate for any damage. You don't want to suffer burnout, trust me." She eased back on the amount of power she was using when she felt two other royals join their powers with hers.

"Grandfather, what do we do?" Wufei asked, turning to Hiroto.

"Just wait," he answered grimly, not once taking his eyes from the sky.

Rei closed her eyes immediately when she felt the sacred flame pull her, and gazed into her inner fire. "They've got a Gundam!" Her eyes opened wide as the first wave of Tauruses and Virgos came over the horizon, and she swore when she looked to Heero for advice; he was completely focused on holding the barrier, and she knew it would be imprudent to bother him. She turned to her grandfather. "I have to get to Deathscythe," she explained, her eyes pleading with him to understand. "They've got a Gundam that I've never seen before…" She closed her eyes to look at it one more time. "It's got some sort of energy rifle, like Heero's."

Hiroto stopped her and squeezed her arm with surprising strength. "We stay put, Rei. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about, these mobile suits won't stand a chance against what's coming."

"Then what's coming!" She shouted.

"There!" Wufei shouted, and pointed towards the docks.

Rei's eyes widened as she gaped at the storm rolling in from the ocean. Shit, this wasn't a storm, it was a fucking typhoon.

Mercuries, Neptunes, and Uranuses all lined the docks, hands joined, and were summoning the biggest storm they could possibly create in such a short amount of time. It rolled just over the barrier, and sideswiped the enemy mobile suits just as they arrived.

"Now!" Hiroto cried, and pointed his hands at the sky. Fireballs leapt from his fingers and flew through the air, and explosions accented the stormclouds whenever an enemy aircraft caught fire.

Glad to finally get into the fight, his grandchildren followed suit and were soon shooting down everything in their sights.

"We're winning!" Makoto yelled. She wished she could wipe the sweat that was pouring down her face, but she needed both hands to hold the barrier. She screamed at the sudden impact of something smashing into the barrier, and fell to her knees. Her cry was echoed by her brothers, and they nearly fell under the strain.

Rei searched the sky for the source, and spotted a single ice-blue light glowing steadily against the flashing lightning shield. She raised a hand at it and sent a steady stream of fire at it; she rocked back when her fire met an incredible energy, but didn't stop sending her power at it. She felt a rush of gratitude when her grandfather and Wufei both joined their powers with hers, but it was too little, too late.

The barrier shattered; Heero, Trowa, and Makoto all fell when the power they were still pouring out hit them in a backlash, knocking them to the ground. The storm above broke through, and the torrential downpour made it nearly impossible to see the beam of blue light that was gradually getting closer to them, slowed only by the three Mars' pillar of fire.

"It's ice!" Hiroto cried over the noise of the typhoon. "That light is a beam of ice!"

_Embrace the flame, beware the ice._ Rei gasped at her revelation, and pushed her full power through her hands and into the pillar of fire. "We need that barrier back up, Grandfather! And we need every Mars on the island here, right now!" _Usagi! We need the barrier back up at all costs!_

_I hear you, Rei! We're working on it! _Spots of darkness shot into the air just as the lightning had before, and formed a new shield just below the spot where the fire and the ice met. The rain stopped immediately, and several silver lights, paired with a single dark spot, came from the palace and reinforced the barrier.

"Rei, you're using too much power!" Hiroto yelled at her, his voice hoarse with fatigue.

"No, I'm not! It's working, Grandfather, whatever that thing is, we're beating it back!" Another stream of fire wrapped around their pillar, and she gave Mitsuko a grateful look. "Good to see you, cousin."

"I was helping watch the children, but I saw the fire and came to help. I won't be able to hold it as long as you and Hino-san, but I can help." Sweat was already running down her face from the strain; there was no way Mitsuko could help for long. "No, don't slack off, Rei!" She shouted, when she felt her cousin's power ebb. "Hold out just a little longer, I can sense that we're getting close!"

Rei felt Wufei break off and fall to his knees in exhaustion, closely followed by her grandfather, who gave a fierce scream of frustration. If he'd been twenty years younger, he could have held out just as long as his granddaughter. The Princess of Mars simply went balls out to compensate. She could feel it now, too, and her psychic flame was showing her that this Gundam, which looked strangely like Wing Zero, was shooting the beam of ice out of the buster rifle she'd seen before. She mentally squinted to look closer, while she bore down and added even more power to the spiral. Was the psychic flame getting smaller, or was she just getting too tired to see it well?

She looked away from the flame and opened her eyes when it seemingly shrunk to the size of a water bottle, and finally threw everything she had left into the pillar of flame. She was going to be spent soon; she needed to take this new Gundam out before her power failed her.

An explosion rocked the barrier, and Rei felt gravity disappear as the recoil travelled down through the pillar, lifted her up, and threw her backwards.

Rei's eyes lifted slowly and stared into a sky that was rapidly clearing. Heero's face appeared above her, his eyes dark with concern. "Are you alright?" He asked. He touched his fingers to her throat and felt for a pulse, but pulled them back quickly. Rei saw him look to his left quickly, but couldn't hear him; his voice was fading out.

"She's cold, and her pulse is slow." He addressed Hiroto, since he was most likely to have experience with this sort of thing. He immediately covered Rei when debris started raining down from the sky as the barrier was dropped. God, her skin was like ice, and she had started to visibly shake.

"We need to get her somewhere safe, and fast!" Rei's grandfather shouted. He helped Heero lift her. They were both weak from the battle, but with Wufei's help and Trowa and Makoto zapping pieces of falling metal to clear a path for them, they quickly made their way to the Temple of Jupiter, the closest building to the square.

"She's soaked with sweat," Hiroto said sharply, and directed them to lay her on the first bed they came to. "Strip her, and find some dry towels. Wufei, do you have any power left? I'm nearly tapped out."

"Yes, Grandfather, I have a little left."

"Good, you only need a little for this. Put your hand on her chest—" He glared at him when he hesitated to place his hand on her bare chest.

"Do it!" Heero snapped, as he tore the last of her clothing off. He took the towels that Makoto offered, and the brother and sister quickly began to dry her.

Wufei pressed his hand just between her breasts, and looked expectantly at Hiroto. Push heat into her," he instructed. "Not a lot, just enough to warm her. Her pilot light's gone out; we need to get her core temperature back up and help her relight it."

"Here, Heero." Trowa handed him a large, thick blanket, and they draped it over her. Wufei adjusted his position so he could reach beneath it, and started to fill her with a warm glow.

_Mako! Why isn't Rei answering me! _Usagi yelled. _Is she alright? Does she need healing?_

Makoto grunted and shook her head at her brothers when they looked at her. _She's injured, but not in a way that you can help with. Her spark—er, pilot light—went out. I think it's the same thing as her spark going out, anyway._

_Like when your idiot cousin got into that fight and blew all of his energy in one shot?_

_Something like that, _Mako answered. _He was just burned out. Rei tapped into her inner fire, I think, and used it all up. She's suffering from hypothermia, but Wufei's working on warming her back up._

_Keep me posted. _Usagi cut off communication and went off to handle other business. There had been several injuries caused by falling debris, but so far they'd had no casualties.

"There, that should be enough." The old man kneeled down at the bedside and pressed his head against Rei's so he could look into her mind. They weren't telepathic, but two Mars' could do this if they were closely related or royals. He saw where her psychic flame should have been, but the space was empty and cold. He brushed against the space with his own power, and fanned the tiny flame he'd sparked until it grew large enough to sustain itself. He looked into it for only a moment to make sure her gift was still intact, and was satisfied when he saw her brother, his hair unbound and disheveled, supporting the Princess of the Moon as they walked out into the courtyard to check for injured people.

Rei shivered when Wufei withdrew his hand. "Body heat should do the trick, now," Hiroto said, and looked pointedly at Heero. "I believe that's what you're for, young man." He couldn't keep the little grin off his face when Heero's face colored just the tiniest bit. "We'll give you two some privacy; you call us if her temperature drops any further." He looked to the rest of the group. "Come on, all of you out, we need to get outside and tend to any wounded."

Heero was already stripping to the skin before the door was even closed, and he immediately slipped under the blanket and drew Rei against him. Any arousal was instantly silenced when her cold skin pressed against his balls. "God, you're freezing," he gasped. He focused on vigorously rubbing her skin with his hands, trying to knead some warmth into her.

He checked her pulse; it was better, and her breathing was normal. "Rei, can you hear me?"

No answer. Her color was returning, though, slowly but surely, and her skin didn't feel nearly as frigid. He rolled on top of her and laid there, hoping that this position would insulate some more heat. He jerked his head back sharply when she mumbled something. "What, sweetheart, are you ok?"

"First time… on top… you aren't hard," she mumbled.

"Fucking smartass," he muttered. Well, if she could be a smartass, she must be fine, right? "We need to get you warm, Rei. Wake up for me just a little, don't go back to sleep. You had hypothermia. Hiroto said something about your light going out or something."

Violet eyes cracked open slowly to look up at him. They were glassy and she had trouble seeing him, but she was fighting for consciousness as he'd asked. The corner of her mouth flickered up for just a moment. "Heero."

He bent his head and kissed her tenderly. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Did it work?" She whispered, her voice raw.

He nodded, and stroked her hair away from her face. "You did it, Rei." He shook her when her eyes slid shut. "Stay with me, Rei. Wake up, sweetheart."

"I'm awake," she sighed absently. She'd felt the pull, and had slid down deep into her mind to see what the flame was trying to show her. It was small, but it was slowly getting a little bigger with every passing minute.

Heero looked at her with worry when her eyes opened again. "What did you see?" He asked knowingly.

"He's alive." Tears slid down her cheeks, and she tried her best to blink them away. "It didn't work. He's—I damaged his Gundam, but he managed to retreat."

"Shhh, it's ok. Rei, you just saved thousands of people and helped slaughtered a sizeable squadron. I think you've accomplished more in one day than most people could."

"Not you." She was unable to hide the bitterness from her voice. Hyler should have been dead, damn it. She'd nearly killed herself in the process of trying to destroy him, and she'd failed.

Heero let a ghost of a smile steal over his lips. "Well, you're not the Perfect Soldier, Rei. You're just the Angel of Death."

Rei sniffled and stifled a laugh. God, he could be such an arrogant son of a bitch when he wanted to be. "You forgot the Princess of War and Passion."

"Passion, huh? Prove it."

She couldn't prove anything, she was just too cold. She shivered again, and he held her in his arms and pulled the blanket tighter around him. Passion was just going to have to wait until tomorrow morning.


	25. Chapter 25

Serenity studied her daughter and the pilot of Zero Two while she healed a Neptune who was suffering from a concussion caused by a falling piece of Taurus. Usagi was brushing his waist-length dark brown hair, and was trying to carefully work out all of the tangles. While the queen didn't like the little prick, she had to admit that while he hadn't saved Usagi from death, he'd definitely saved her from grievous injury by taking nearly all of the recoil when the explosion had broken their shield. He'd been banged up pretty badly, but her daughter had made healing him her first priority above anything else.

She rolled her eyes when she saw that Duo was obviously enjoying Usagi's ministrations. His eyes fluttered closed and he said something she couldn't hear when the princess ran her fingers through his hair to make sure all the tangles were out.

Usagi smiled and massaged his scalp a little when he let out a little moan of pleasure. "I take it no one ever messes with your hair," she said bluntly.

"Nope, never. Besides Rei, you'd be the first, moonrabbit. We used to comb out each other's hair in the mornings and braid it; it was a lot more efficient than doing it ourselves." His eyes fluttered shut again when she started stroking the brush through his thick hair to bunch it all smoothly into one hand.

"I've seen Rei-chan with that braid, she looks just like you." Her fingers easily plaited his long hair down his back, and she tied it off when she was done.

Duo popped up out of his seat, and motioned for her to take it. "Your turn. Those odangos are all messed up."

It was Usagi's turn to gurgle with pleasure when he unbound her ankle-length hair and let it drop to the floor.

He grinned and enjoyed the simple act of running his fingers through her hair; he'd wanted to do that for days. He lifted the heavy mass of golden waves and suddenly frowned. "Why didn't you tell me you were injured?" When she tried to protest and tell him it was nothing, he bit down on his lip to keep from shouting at her. "No, it's not _nothing_, moonrabbit. Hold still." He moved her hair to the side and covered the angry-looking scrapes on her neck and shoulders with his hands. He felt the dark light flood into him, and he directed his own energy into healing his princess.

"Taru taught you that already?" Usagi asked. Her eyes slipped shut as she felt his light fill her, and her thoughts were swamped with his. He cared for her… a lot. He had been completely at peace with sacrificing himself for her when he'd thrown himself on top of her during the battle.

She blinked when the light faded and turned her head to look at him. "Th—thank you," she managed. She wasn't thanking him for just the healing, but better for him not to know that she knew… especially in front of her mother.

"My pleasure, moonrabbit." The color rising in her face was thanks enough, and he let his fingertips brush over her pulse when he pulled his hands away and picked up the brush.

###################

"Michiru? Michiru! Wake up!" Haruka shook her girlfriend a little, and cradled the aqua-haired guard in her arms. She detected a slow pulse, but there was no sign that she was breathing. Haruka quickly laid her flat and began to give her mouth-to-mouth.

Her eyes were thick with tears, and she was about to give up after several minutes, but Michiru finally started coughing. A relieved Haruka rolled her onto her side as the woman began to vomit up seawater, and she stroked a comforting hand through her blue locks. "That's right, honey. Breathe. You're going to be ok."

"Ruka?" She choked.

The Princess of Uranus scooped her back up into her arms and stood. "Yeah, honey, it's me. Come on, we'll go find Taru and get you healed up." She kissed her forehead and cradled her tightly against her chest.

"Did it work?" Michiru gasped.

"Yeah, the little pyro did it," she replied, a hint of fondness for the Princess of Mars in her voice. "When all else failed, it seems she poured her power into that pillar while the storm took care of the other mobile suits. They'll probably try and attack again, but it'll be a few days before they can regroup." She adjusted her girlfriend when Michiru wrapped her arms around her neck.

"That's good; we can start planning a battle strategy as soon as everyone's been healed."

"Michiru, you nearly died, and you're already planning the defenses?" Haruka snorted. She kissed her soundly. "I love you, but shut up."

"You'd be doing the same," she replied smartly.

"I'm a little more worried about you at the moment, honey. I'll worry about the city once we get you healed."

Michiru smiled, and felt her love for Haruka warm her from head to toe. On any normal day, Haruka would already be at the palace, planning a strategic defense plan with Serenity and the Muse. Instead, she'd spent her time on the beach frantically searching for her lover. "I love you, too, Ruka."

##############

Mina and Quatre ran together through the debris littering the square, and the Princess of Venus pointed to the palace when they found only spots of blood on the marble tile. They both skidded to a halt in the throne room, which was packed full of healers, injured, and Venusians who were trying to serve food to people who had severely drained their powers. They were to be used if the battle became a fight on the ground, due to their power over earth, but were now practically the only people in the city not suffering from some level of exhaustion. Mercury, Neptune, and Uranus had created and held the storm, then broken it apart when it was no longer needed; Jupiter had created the first barrier; Saturn and the Moon had created the second and were now healing; Mars had won the battle.

Dread swamped both of them at once, and they looked at each other. "Oh Goddess," Minako gasped, "Rei."

The feelings of pain and fear and exhaustion were simply too thick for either of them to send out their powers of empathy to search for the raven-haired woman, so she searched the room for a familiar face, _any _face that might be able to give her some good news. Her eyes lit up when she spied Trowa. "Thank the Goddess he's ok." She ran across the room and threw herself into his arms. "I was so worried about you," she sobbed. She looked up at him and saw the blood trickling down from behind his ear. "You need a healer, Trowa!"

"I'll be fine." He'd returned her embrace, but he couldn't help but be a little cool towards her after what Quatre had told him. Despite it all, he had thought of her, too; had wondered if she'd made it through the battle without injury, had worried about her well-being. "I'm glad you're alright." He looked to his sister, who was kissing his best friend like it was going out of style, and cleared his throat.

Quatre gave them grin that Shinigami would have been immensely proud of. "Sorry, got caught up in the moment." He gave Makoto a searing glance before kissing her once more, chastely, and pulling away. "Where's Heero and Rei?"

"Rei's pilot light went out," Makoto explained, and she patted Minako when the Venusian gave her a look of horror. "It's ok, Hino-san relit it while Wufei warmed her up. Heero's snuggled up with her right now."

"Thank the Goddess," Minako sighed. "What was that light, anyway? The one that broke the shield? I've never seen _anything _break through a Jupiter barrier before."

"It was a buster rifle, like Heero's," Trowa answered. "We're extremely lucky; if Rei and Wufei hadn't been there, this island would be only a memory."

################

Wufei was reeling with exhaustion, but didn't let it deter him from his task. He ran down the beach, searching through the injured; he'd found several blue-haired Mercuries and Neptunes already, but none of them were his stubborn little princess. It was getting harder and harder to find her as it started to get dark. He grunted and his fist clenched. If she was hurt, and out here playing doctor, he was going to beat the shit out of her. God, what if she was dead—no, he would _not _let himself think like that! "Not again," he huffed. "I refuse to go through it again. She's going to live whether she likes it or not."

He spotted several Neptunes hovering around a body on the beach, and stopped to investigate when he overheard one of them say "hime." He caught a glimpse of her glasses, and shoved people out of his way as he slid to his knees at her side. "Ami," he gasped, "are you alright?"

The princess smiled at him weakly. "Hey. I'll be fine, Wufei. We're just waiting on a healer."

He noted her pallor, and moved the damp blanket covering her legs. "Why wasn't she a priority?" He snapped at the onlookers. He looked back at her leg and let the blanket fall; there was nothing he could do to help her until a healer arrived. Pieces of shrapnel were lodged in her thigh and calf, and removing them would only make her bleed out.

"She's already directed four healers to move on to someone else," a Mercury grumbled, obviously both worried and annoyed with his princess.

"Haven't you ever heard of _pulling rank_?" Wufei growled. "What's she going to do to you? It's not like she can fight back." He directed his glare at Ami, and hid his grim pleasure when she shrank from him just a little. "If you refuse the next healer, you're going to be sorry," he promised.

"Wufei, I'm a doctor, I'll be fine," she insisted.

"Being a doctor doesn't make you bleed any slower," he mumbled. He unbuttoned and shrugged out of his shirt- ignoring the appreciative stares from the Neptunes around him- and balled it up before sliding it gently under her head. "Damn doctors, you make the worst fucking patients."

"Sorry," Ami apologized softly. Her eyes fleetingly scanned his defined muscular chest and arms, but other than that, she gave no indication that she'd noticed.

"You are arguably the most stubborn woman I've ever met." He couldn't keep the animosity out of his voice as he scanned the beach for a healer, and finally spotted a Saturn with heavy bags under her eyes. "You there!" He shouted. "My woman needs a healer; get your ass over here!"

_His_ woman? Ami blushed and closed her eyes to keep from having to look at her subjects and the Neptunes that were studying the two of them with renewed interest. _Great… just great. Thanks, Wufei._

Wufei's sign blazed red-hot on his forehead when the Saturn hesitated. "Now!" He yelled, and the healer finally hurried over.

"Gomen ne, Ouji-san. My powers are too drained; I can do nothing for anyone right now."

"Then get another healer over here right now!" He shouted. He ground his teeth together as he fought down the heat that was rising in him; setting this stupid woman on fire wasn't going to help matters.

"All of the healers have fallen back to the palace, Ouji-san."

"I'm not a prince," he finally answered, once he had himself under control. He looked to Ami and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Can you be moved?"

She sat up on her elbows and shot Wufei a look when he tried to make her lie flat again. "I can't very well give you an answer if you won't let me look at the wound." She let him help her rise up a little when he nodded, and pulled back the damp blanket. Ami moved her leg just a little for a better look, and grunted softly in pain. "Yes, I can be moved, as long as the leg isn't jarred around too much."

"Alright then, hold still, woman." Wufei removed the blanket and slid his arms under her, carefully hefting her against his chest before rising. _God, she's brave. _The only sign that she was in pain was a constant grimace and an occasional squinting of her blue eyes. "Move," he grunted at the crowd around them.

His stride was smooth as he took care not to move her wounded leg. "Thank you, Wufei." Ami rested her head against his bare chest. "You're not hurt, are you?"

He couldn't ignore the way her warm breath was ghosting against his skin when she spoke, and looked down at her. He smiled a little at the sight of her eyes closed in perfect trust, and ached to kiss that frown right off of her lips. "Just a few scrapes and bruises," he assured her.

Ami let her mind float through the haze of the pain as she thought of anything but how much it hurt. She concentrated on the feel of his arms wrapped around her, how she could hear and feel his heartbeat… she found a little smile playing at her lips when her arms wrapped around his neck to help him bear her weight, and she heard that heartbeat speed up just a little bit. If she'd been any other woman, she might have stroked the back of his neck just to make it beat even faster. She entertained the idea, but that just wasn't her style.

Wufei saw that little smile, and suppressed one of his own. "Something funny, onna?"

"Yes, if you must know," she replied, surprising herself. Her blue eyes cracked open, and held as much mirth as her lips. "The fact that you're carrying an onna… as you've so tactfully put it. I thought you despised women." She was going to ignore for the moment that he'd kissed her earlier; it had probably just been a heat of the moment thing.

"I don't despise women," he grunted. "Just weakness." He regarded her seriously as he carried her into the palace. "You're not weak," he said firmly, ending that particular subject of conversation. He took her to the first Saturn he could find, who was so tired that she could barely even eat the sandwich in her hand. "Hime no Mercury needs a healer."

The Saturn gave Ami a weak smile. "Gomen ne, hime. I can't heal anymore until I get something to eat and some rest." She nodded towards the throne room. "Lady Serenity's nearly tapped out, too, there were a lot of injuries at the docks, and even more from the falling debris."

"Daijoubu," Ami replied, trying not to wince when Wufei shifted her slightly. She nodded at his grunted apology. "I felt a piece move a little, Wufei. Get me to the throne room."

Wufei felt a twinge of fear at the way she'd quickly paled, and rushed as quickly as he dared, taking care not to jar her thigh. "Lady Serenity!" He bellowed, unable to contain the sudden urgency he felt to get Ami to a healer _now_. Maybe it was his gift from Mars, maybe it was just intuition, but something other than her gray complexion told him that something was seriously wrong with his princess.

Serenity looked over at him in sheer exhaustion as he approached. "Lay her down," she instructed. She grimaced at the wound when Wufei flipped Ami's skirt up to reveal the entire injury. "I don't know if I have enough power left to heal this, but I'll try."

Ami's eyes fluttered open to stare at Serenity… at both of them. God, she was seeing double, this wasn't good. And if Serenity didn't have a lot of strength left… "Heal what you can," she whispered. "The femoral artery… I think it's been hit."

Serenity nodded, and laid her hands over the ugliest piece of shrapnel. She drew it out little by little as she healed the damage behind it. She moved to the next piece, and the next… and the next. She gasped when she touched the fourth one. "Ami, my dear, I'm so sorry. I just can't heal anymore; I'm tapped until I get some rest." She looked at her with regret and stroked back the sweaty blue hair from her forehead.

Wufei was back at her side, his expression grim. "There are no other healers." He looked to Serenity, and the pain in his eyes was raw. "You're finished, aren't you?"

She nodded. "I'm so sorry, I don't think I could even heal a bruise right now, Wufei."

Ami's eyes fluttered shut for a moment and she fought against the wave of dizziness that swamped her. "The worst of it is healed, I think." God, she was so woozy from the blood loss that she couldn't even assess the damage with 100% surety. "Wufei, pull out the rest and cauterize the wounds."

He just gaped at her. "You're fucking crazy, Ami."

She glared at him, her mouth set in that stubborn line that he'd come to know well over the last few days. It told him that there was no amount of arguing in the world that was going to change her mind. "_**Do it**_, Wufei."

He matched her glare, but was the first to look away. He focused on her leg; there were only two pieces left near her knee, and four in her calf. "How deep are these two in?" He asked without emotion.

"About half an inch." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "It's going to be alright, Wufei."

Shouldn't he be the one assuring her? Shit, this woman was tough as nails. "Ami, you owe me for this." He waited for her acknowledgement… good, she understood.

"Thank you, Wufei." Whatever she was agreeing to owe him, she had no idea, but she'd pay the price for making him hurt her when it was obvious that it was the last thing he ever wanted to do. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Do it, I'm ready," she said steadily.

Wufei nodded, and pushed all emotion to the back of his mind as he studied the wound. He started with the piece that Serenity had tried to remove but couldn't, and slowly eased it from her flesh. Blood poured out immediately until he placed his hand over the wound and fire flashed from his palm. He instantly regretted it when a scream tore from Ami's mouth, and jerked his hand away. "I'm sorry!" He clutched her to his chest tightly. "We'll find another healer," he insisted, and placed a kiss on her cold forehead. God, she was like ice.

"No," she rasped. "Don't stop. Give me something to bite down on; I won't scream again, I promise." She punched his shoulder weakly when he shook his head. "Do it, Wufei, I won't survive much more blood loss."

"What's your blood type?"

"A positive. Someone needs to hook me up as soon as possible." She let him yell and holler for blood, knowing that it was not only necessary, but it would make him feel like he had some measure of control over the situation. When someone brought over an IV kit and two pints of blood, she nodded. "Do it, Wufei."

God, out of all the shit he'd done in his life, this was arguably one of the most detestable things he'd ever been faced with. He took off his belt, folded it, and stuck it in her mouth. "Bite down," he said gently, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

Her eyes hardened and she grunted for him to begin.

Wufei worked fast, ignoring her muffled screams, blocking them out to the best of his ability. This was another type of battlefield, but it was a battlefield all the same, and he _would _succeed in his mission… even if that mission involved scarring Ami's once-flawless leg and inflicting her with excruciating pain. He was drenched in sweat from the effort not to stop when he finally pulled the last piece out of her calf and cauterized the wound.

He regarded her heavily, noting every tear streaming down her face, the agony and relief mixed in her eyes. She was ghostly white, but another Mercury was already hooking her up to the blood and telling her she was going to be just fine.

Ami spat out the belt and tried to regain some control over her breathing. "Thank you." Her voice was hoarse from the screaming, but she felt compelled to thank him again. There was no ignoring the emotion in his eyes as he waited for her to condemn him. "You did well, I'm proud of you."

Wufei toweled off her face, and kissed her before resting his forehead against hers. At this point he didn't give a flying fuck who saw it, either. "Don't ever ask me to do anything like that again, woman." He would have looked up at Serenity, but he just didn't have the strength at the moment. "Can you heal the burns in the morning?" He asked the queen.

"Yes, I can. She'll be my first patient, Wufei." She patted his shoulder, and slowly rose, accepting the help that a Venus offered her. "You two get some rest."

Wufei scooped her up the moment she was done receiving blood and carried her to her quarters. At odds with her room in the Temple of Mercury, this room seemed like it was hardly used. It was spacious and neat, and while he wryly noted the stacks of books, they were confined to a single corner and her desk. Obviously she rarely stayed here, preferring her other room due to its short distance from the library.

He stripped her damp and bloody clothing as quickly and modestly as possible, despite the urge to gaze at her perfection, then went into her bathroom to wash the blood from his hands and arms. Once he was clean, he returned and dressed her in the first thing he could find that looked comfortable, and tucked her safely under the covers. Thank God she'd been out cold since they'd hooked her up to that second pint of blood; he didn't think he could stand her being awake while he'd exposed her.

He disrobed as well, and found a baggy pair of shorts that fit him before sliding under the blankets with her and pulling her tightly against him. If she had a problem with waking like this in the morning, she was going to have to get the hell over it; he wasn't leaving her side.

##############

"Casualties?"

"All but you, sir," the Colonel said sadly. "A three hundred men and mobile suits were lost. Your Gundam is in severe need of repair as well, it won't be up and running for a few weeks."

Hyler nodded a little, despite the ache in his neck. It didn't hurt as much as everywhere else, but it hurt, all the same. God, he'd just sent an entire battalion to their deaths, and there likely wasn't a single casualty among the enemy. Those shields… he'd never seen anything like them, and what in the hell was that beam of fire that he'd fought against? His radar had suggested that it had come from a human, but that was downright impossible. "Have my shields upgraded during the repairs," he ordered.

The leader of Neo OZ flexed his hand and arm and winced in pain. Second degree burns covered his entire body, and if it hadn't been for the Gundanium alloy his suit was made of, he would have been roasted to death in it. God, he had been the only one to survive out of three hundred. "I'll make it up to you," he swore to the souls of his men. "I'll take this planet for you."

##################

"_He looks like you," she giggled. "Whines just as much, too," she teased._

"_I don't whine," he snorted, but a smirk played at the corner of his mouth while he watched her _ _bare her breast and offer it to his son. Damn it, he was going to have to share those for the next year or so, wasn't he? _Only for you, kid, _he thought. _

_She kissed the newborn's forehead and ran her fingers through the unruly shock of dark hair on his head. "He's even going at it with the same single-mindedness as his father," she said with a grin._

"_He'd just better know that those aren't his. They're being leased out to him until he's a year old."_

_She snorted and rolled her eyes. "They're not yours, Heero, they're mine. You didn't have to deal with the soreness all day long for the last three months, so they're mine." _

"_Yes, Rei, they are." He gave her a seductive smile before he kissed her. "But I'll let you borrow them daily when you're not in bed with me."_

…_.._

"_DUO!" _

_Usagi ran to his body as he crumpled to the ground, and catching a movement out of the corner of her eye, she grabbed Duo's gun out of his back pocket, spun, and shot the man aiming his pistol at her. She returned to shaking Rei's brother furiously, pushing her light into him, but the effort was futile. "Don't be dead, Duo, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!"_

…_._

_Minako's fists shook and she finally looked up to gaze at Trowa with tears in her eyes. "I hate you," she whispered._

…_.._

"_Oh, of course she won't mind, I'm her dear old dad, remember?"_

"_Fine, G, it's your call, but you're taking the heat when Rei decides to start screaming at you for gutting out one of her barns."_

"_Shut up, S, she's not even using this one. And be quiet, we don't want to wake the people in the house."_

…_.._

"_Seduce her, Quatre." Duo stepped up and gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder. "Dude, you're one of the ballsiest motherfuckers I've ever known. You may seem all soft and sweet on the outside, but on the inside, you're fucking hardcore. Show her that, and she won't run. I guarantee it."_

#####################

Rei slowly opened her eyes, and shut them again against the glaring light. She focused on the heartbeat beneath her ear, the solid arms wrapped tightly around her… something hard poking against the thigh that was draped over a slim waist.

"Good morning," a low voice said dryly.

Rei squinted against the brightness coming in through the window to gaze up at Heero's concerned face. "Morning." Her voice was weak and hoarse, but after the day before, that was to be expected. Her hand drifted down between them, and she smiled when his eyes half-closed for a moment and he grunted. "I don't know if it's _good_ yet, but I'm sure we can fix that."

"Don't start something you can't finish, woman." Heero kissed her forehead and moved her hand away for her own safety. Much more of that, and he'd have her pinned to the mattress whether or not she was ill. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit," she said honestly. "I think I'll be fine if I eat something, though."

Heero slid out of the bed and put on some boxers, and winked at her when she gave him an appreciative stare. "Maybe later," he promised.

"Maybe, my ass."

"Hn. I didn't know you were into anal." He grinned when she hit him in the face with a pillow. "Behave yourself, Rei, and I just might be into oral after breakfast."

Her eyes widened a little at the proposition, but her expression settled into a sexy smile. "Mission accepted."

_God, that sounds so much better than when I say it. _Heero slipped on a pair of jeans and went straight downstairs to find a smorgasbord layout. God bless the Venusians, they knew how badly everyone was going to need to fuel up after the battle. He piled two plates up and took one straight to Rei, who was trying to get out of bed. "I guess someone's not getting any oral." He put the plates on the nightstand and rushed to her side to support her.

"Sorry," she said weakly. "I have to pee so bad it hurts, Heero."

"Oh, sorry. I should've taken you before I left."

"Heero, I don't think I can walk." She looked away from him quickly, embarrassed.

God, if she was actually admitting it, she was way worse off than he thought. He scooped her up bridal style and carried her to the bathroom so she could do her business. Once he had her back in the bed, he helped her sit up and served her the loaded plate he'd brought. "And you wanted sex," he snorted.

She shrugged, a little self-conscious about her feebleness, and was glad that she could avoid talking by shoveling food into her mouth. Her plate was clean in no time, and she could feel her eyes getting heavy.

"You were talking in your sleep again," Heero said, keeping his worry for her out of his voice.

Rei nodded wearily. "I think the Prof is building something in my barn. I dreamt about him and S."

"Anything else?"

"Duo and Usagi again… exact same dream. Trowa and Mina fighting… Duo, of all people, giving Quatre advice about women."

"That's it?"

Rei nodded, set her plate on her bedside table, and laid down. God, she'd never been so tired. She was so tired that she could hardly even lie to Heero… but there was no way she was telling him about that first dream. If she'd been facing him, she would have seen his jaw tighten; Heero of all people knew when someone was lying to him, even if it was a small one.

**If yall liked it, show me some love by way of reviewing, please! And I'm sorry it took a hot minute to get this chapter out yall, we had a death in the family, and there was just no way I could bust out my normal daily chapter with all the craziness that's going on. It'll probably be a week before I get the next one up, too. Love yall!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey, yall! Sorry this chapter took a little over a week, but I've been working on a new fic that I haven't posted yet. I have about fifteen chapters of what is actually two fanfics, both of them DBZ/SM crossovers. I'll post the first chapters of those once I'm sure they're ready, and new chapters of BDC will be a bit slower to produce. I may just go ahead and change the whole fic rating to M once I get to a certain part, since it's definitely going to be M from there on out. I just can't seem to write at a T setting anymore, I'm too old. :P**

Serenity stared at the man standing before her in complete shock. Sweet Selene, he looked just like Diana. "Nephew?"

Milliardo gave her a small bow and a hesitant smile. "Aunt Serenity, I presume."

She rushed to him, not caring that she was a mess. Her hair was still down from her night's rest, and she was dressed only in a simple white healer's shift. She embraced him tightly to her, and only pulled away when she felt him stiffen. "What's wrong, nephew?"

"My daughter," he replied without emotion. "What is your verdict?"

Serenity frowned and sighed. God, it was too fucking early for this, and she hadn't even had her coffee yet. This trait was one her daughter shared with her; they were _not_ morning people in the slightest. "We'll talk, I promise. Come with me."

#################

"Heard you got your ass handed to you," a feminine voice said softly from the shadows.

"Who in the hell is there?" Hyler snapped. He raised his head to look, but it hurt to do so. He gasped when the former Queen Relena stepped out and gave him a mocking little bow. "You. What do you want? And for that matter, how in the hell did you get in here?"

Relena shrugged. "I dated Heero Yuy for several years, Hyler. You learn a few things when you live with a well-trained soldier. As for what I want… I want to help you." She frowned when he laughed at her. "I require Heero, though, as payment."

"Payment!" Hyler laughed even harder at the idea.

"Yes," Relena replied, an obvious edge to her voice. "Payment."

#####################

Ami's eyes opened at the feel of a warm mouth against her own. She slowly responded to the kiss, and felt him jump in surprise. "Morning," she chuckled, when he pulled away.

"Morning," he replied, with obvious pleasure. Damn, he'd only given in to the urge to kiss her because he thought she'd been asleep. He blinked in surprise when the blue-haired genius raised her head a little and brushed her lips against his. Well, it was no longer just morning. It was a _good _morning. "How's the leg? I already called for the queen."

"It hurts," she admitted. She drew back the quilt and noted with relief that Wufei had possessed the sense to cover it with treated gauze so the burn wouldn't stick to any cloth. "And I'm running a fever. That's normal," she added, when his brow furrowed with concern. "Thank you, Wufei," she said with a blush. "I know I can be stubborn sometimes."

"Sometimes?" He snorted. In his experience, she was stubborn all the time. He bent his head to kiss her again, and slipped his tongue into her mouth when she opened to him willingly.

"Did you want a healer, or do you need some private time first?" A quiet voice asked, jerking them both away from each other. Queen Serenity noted Ami's blush with amusement before approaching the bed.

"Your Highness, sorry," the doctor chuckled. "I didn't hear you knock."

"I didn't," Serenity laughed. She carefully removed the gauze around Ami's leg, and didn't hesitate to begin the healing. The skin was scarred when she pulled her hand away, but it was mended. "Sorry, you know I can't do much of anything about burn scars."

Ami nodded. "I know, it's alright."

Wufei noted the flash of self-consciousness on her face when she covered her leg with the blanket, but kept his mouth shut. She'd be beautiful even if she was covered in scars.

######################

Michiru gasped with pleasure at the feel of a soft mouth against her throat. "Three times wasn't enough last night, Ruka?" She chuckled.

"Never enough," the guard mumbled against her breast. "If I didn't have to meet Serenity in the war room in ten minutes…"

"Well, then, I suggest you don't start anything that you can't finish." Michiru grinned at her when Haruka raised her head.

"Fine," she sputtered. She rolled off of her girlfriend and started to get dressed in normal street clothes. Her guard uniform had been ruined during the battle, as had Michiru's, so they would be wearing whatever they could find until new ones could be made. She eyed Michiru appreciatively when the other guard stood and stretched like a cat. "Mich, get some clothes on," Haruka said roughly.

She grinned mischeviously. "What, Ruka? You don't like looking at me naked?" She teased.

"I like it too much. And we're going to be an hour late if you stay naked much longer."

"An hour, huh? Think pretty highly of yourself, there, don't you?" Michiru put on a sports bra and shrugged into a simple dress. "Have you seen my underwear?"

Haruka grinned. "Better find a new pair, love. I kind of destroyed those last night."

Michiru had the grace to blush, and slid a new pair up her long legs. She did it a lot slower than necessary, drawing a gaze of longing from her girlfriend. Gods, how long had she waited for Haruka to look at her like that? Months? Years? Forever? "Ruka, I love you," she said quietly.

Haruka's gaze softened at the sight of Michiru's face. "Love you too, beautiful."

#########################

Duo slipped back into the cot he'd shared with Usagi overnight and snuggled up to her.

One of the guards had tried to make him separate from her when he'd pushed his cot up against hers, but Duo had drawn his gun and threatened the guard's life if he didn't fuck off. He was a healer, he had every right to be sleeping with the healers, and he'd also pointed out that no one else in that room would be better suited to protecting the princess.

Usagi had simply rolled her eyes while Duo unbraided his hair and told the guards to just go away. She'd explained that Duo had a long day, and that it was hardly the end of the world if he wanted to sleep close to her. It was also quite impossible for anything inappropriate to happen while they were sleeping in a room full of hundreds of people. She hadn't argued when Duo yanked her against him and buried his face in her hair possessively. She'd used her light to soothe his temper before they'd both drifted off to sleep.

"Where did you go?" She asked sleepily.

"Meeting with the others," he yawned. "We're all going back today. Don't worry, you're still coming with us."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Usagi groaned. "Mother must have been so mad."

Duo shook his head and made little circles along her back with his fingertips. "No, I told her you were drained from all the healing, and that I'd fill you in on everything. She actually thanked me for my concern for you," he snorted. "The Princess Guards will stay for now to set up defenses and join us later. Your mother will contact you, Zechs, or Rei telepathically if there's an attack, and we'll immediately teleport back here to help defend against it. She wants you girls all trained in flying the mobile suits, and Rei needs to get back home. She had a dream that the Prof is doing something in one of her barns."

"We're taking the fight to them, aren't we?"

"Yeah. Too many civilians here. Everyone's trained to fight, but we don't want a huge battle on our hands when there could be young children and elderly people in the line of fire." He sat back up and started unloading all of his guns on the blanket before pulling out the small kit he used to clean them.

Usagi sat up and chuckled at the sight of all of those guns. "You know, Duo, your power is a lot more effective than any gun."

"Yeah, but I don't use it like a reflex yet. Guns, I do. The gun is like a part of my body, and I can draw it quickly and fire even faster. With extremely good accuracy, too. My powers… I have to concentrate on those. There's a delay before I can unleash them, three times as long as it would take me to pull and fire a gun. I'll continue training as a Saturn, but for now, I'll put my faith in my weapons."

"Spoken like a Maxwell," Rei snorted, and plopped down next to her brother. She plucked one of his guns from the blanket, and soon they were both moving in synch with each other, unloading, cleaning, oiling, and reloading.

"You riding with Heero?" Duo asked.

"Of course. Why, you wanted your sissy to ride with you?" Rei giggled.

Duo winked at her as his hands did their familiar task without him even needing to look. "I was hoping a certain moonrabbit would join me."

Usagi finally spoke; she'd been watching their duet with fascination. Sweet Selene, they really could be twins. "Sure. I think we're all too weak to teleport, anyway, and I wouldn't want to ask anyone else to help us raise the required power."

"You'll have to sit on his lap or stand just behind the seat in the cockpit," Rei informed her. "The Deathscythe, Zero, and Heavyarms' cockpits are all too small to really support passengers.

Usagi chuckled. "I take it that certain girls are riding with certain guys, then?"

Rei shook her head crossly. "No, apparently Trowa and Minako are… I don't know what it is," she admitted. "Mako's riding with her brother, and Mina's gonna ride with Quatre. You should have seen Wufei's face when Ami suggested she take a shuttle. I think she's nervous about being alone with him."

Usagi laughed. "That's just her way. I heard about what happened last night and this morning. Mother walked in on them kissing. She'll likely try and avoid him now, out of fear of getting too close to a man."

########################

"I thought I'd come and say goodbye," Rei said softly.

Hiroto turned and regarded his granddaughter solemnly. "You'll be coming back soon, right?" He'd known this day was going to come, but there had been no way to prepare him for it.

Rei nodded, and hugged him to her tightly. "I'll come back as soon as I can, I promise. And if there's another attack, the other princesses and I will teleport here to help. For now, though, here." She pressed a communicator into his hand, and pointed to a green button. "It's untraceable, and bounces its signals off of satellites. You'll be able to see me and talk to me anytime you want to. Wufei, too."

Grandfather Hino beamed. "Thank you, child. Where is your cousin, anyway?"

Rei rolled her eyes and snorted. "Trying to woo Ami-chan. Apparently she's been skittish since this morning. At least it's entertaining."

"You'll call me when he finally gets a piece, right?" He grinned when Rei just gaped at him.

"Grandpa!" She shrieked. "God, you're such a pervert!"

################################

"So, how long until we land?" Rei asked, just after they'd taken off.

"A few hours," Heero said simply.

"Well, I have an idea, if you're game." She grinned when he winked at her. "You had the same idea, I take it?"

Heero pushed a few buttons, and the screen informed him that all incoming calls were blocked. "Now… just how are we going to christen my Gundam?"

Rei rose up and straddled him. "Well, I figured the Zero had about as much room as the Hell, so…" she leaned down and nibbled his ear before dropping her voice to a whisper. "…I didn't wear any underwear." She gasped with pleasure when hiked up her skirt, and she quickly took care of his pants. "Ah, I see the Perfect Soldier also had the foresight to go commando."

Heero gave her his trademark smirk before lowering her onto him. "Great minds think alike."

######################

"HEY! Get your hands off my brother!"

Usagi and Duo both jumped and turned their heads towards the vidscreen before erupting into laughter. "Did you hack my system, baby sister?" The pilot of Hell asked with a grin.

"Actually, no, Heero did," she replied with a grin. "We thought we would see what… or who… you were doing."

Duo snorted. "No, I'm being a _good _boy," he replied with a roll of his eyes. "I tried to call you earlier, but you were blocking incomings, Heero."

"I was busy," Heero replied flatly.

Duo waggled his eyebrows. "Doing what, might I ask?"

"Your sister." Heero's eyes danced with laughter when Duo dramatically gagged and Usagi giggled against his shoulder.

"For three hours, dude?" Duo gagged again when Heero simply nodded and his sister blushed. "God, Yuy, you're a fucking animal."

Rei trailed her hand down Heero's chest and smiled dreamily. "Yeah, he is."

"What, you want some more?" He nipped at her neck when her hand travelled a little lower, just out of Duo's view.

"Alright, that's enough!" Duo whined.

"Just fucking with you, brother!" Rei said with a grin.

"I wasn't," Heero stated, and swung Rei over to straddle him again before pushing the button that cut off all calls.

Duo was grateful to see them disappear from his screen, and buried his face against Usagi's shoulder. "Hold me, moonrabbit, I think I'm scarred for life."

Usagi continued to laugh, as she had been during most of the exchange. "Aw, poor Duo. What can I do to make it better?"

"You could give me a kiss," he mumbled against her.

"Not a chance."

######################

"You guys wanna break it up and pay attention!" Duo snapped.

Rei turned her head to look at the screen and Heero peeked around her to see what was going on. "Oh, fuck," she gasped, when she saw the radar. It was blinking brightly with dozens of dots, and they were quickly closing in on them. She slid out of Heero's lap, grateful that they'd only been kissing, and moved to get out of his way.

"Yeah, oh fuck is right, baby sister. Better hang onto something."

"Holy Mother, I hate this part," she grumbled. She assumed the position she'd learned from flying with Duo, and sat on the floor behind the cockpit chair, linking her legs around the bars underneath it. "Do you thing, Heero, I won't get hurt even if we have to go vertical." Well, not hurt badly, anyway. If he went straight up fast enough, she'd hit the floor with just as much force when he righted the Zero, but she'd been through it before.

Rei wished she could see the screen; she was just itching to get into the fight when it started, but she didn't want to distract Heero from piloting. At least his flying was a bit smoother than her brother's. She flew around a bit and even lost her hold on the bars for a split second when they unexpectedly went vertical, but she could tell he was trying his best not to injure his passenger. "How are we doing?" She finally asked.

"Fine," he said unemotionally. It wasn't like a few dozen mobile suits were any match for five Gundams, but they were certainly fast. He sliced through another Taurus like it was hot butter, and for the first time in several minutes, found himself without an opponent. "Hell, are we all clear?"

"Yeah, buddy, I think we're kosher."

"Heavyarms?"

"We're good. Mako's a bit banged up, but she'll be alright."

Heero nodded, and gave his sister a tiny smirk. She had some bruises on her arms and shoulders, but she looked more annoyed than injured. "Sandrock?"

"Thanks, Zero, we're good."

"Altron?" Heero turned his Gundam to find the Altron not too far from him. It seemed fine, but Wufei wasn't responding. "Altron!" He snapped.

"What, Zero!" Wufei answered angrily.

He blinked at first, not immediately sure why Wufei was answering verbally, but had yet to show his face. Heero heard Ami chuckle in the background and tried not to laugh. "Well, as you were, then."

"Shut the fuck up, Yuy."

##########################

The girls all gratefully stretched once they landed at Rei's base, having been graciously allowed to swing down before the pilots. Usagi immediately healed Makoto's bruises, which had been inflicted from Trowa being forced to move the Heavyarms quickly to dodge an incoming missile. The princess of Jupiter hadn't been hanging onto anything when it had happened, and had rolled around in the cockpit for a few moments.

Ami blushed when the other girls grinned knowingly at her. Her hair was disheveled, her shirt was wrinkled, and she had what suspiciously looked like a love bite on her shoulder.

"So, how far did you get?" Minako asked conspiratorially.

The doctor huffed a little and rolled her eyes. "Is it really any of your business, Mina-chan?"

"As the princess of love and beauty, it most certainly is," she stated firmly. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently when Ami didn't answer right away.

"Second base," she finally sighed. "Satisfied?"

Minako frowned. "No, I was hoping to hear that you'd christened the Altron."

"Heero and I christened the Zero," Rei offered with a wink.

"See, now _that's _the kind of initiative I'm talking about!" The Venusian said with a grin and a friendly slap to Rei's back. "How about you, Usa?"

Usagi just laughed at her. "Seriously, Mina-chan? My mother would beat me three different shades of black and blue!"

"Ok, fine, Usagi is exempt," Mina sighed. "Damn it, no one ever lets me play matchmaker," she grumbled.

"Because you suck at it," Makoto chuckled. "Not your fault, though, maybe that has something to do with not completing the—"

"Shut up, Mako!" Mina suddenly fumed. For a moment, she looked like she was going to beat her friend senseless.

"Hey, guys, let's not start this. The guys are coming," Usagi said firmly.

Rei kissed Heero when he landed, and took the bundle he was holding. "Thanks, sexy man." She held the black bundle out to Duo. "Put this on every morning. You can only take it off in the house, understood?"

Shinigami sputtered and glared at his sister when he unfolded the bulletproof vest. "What the shit is this, Rei!" He hissed at her. "I don't need a bulletproof vest! It's… it's cowardly!"

"I saw it in the sacred flame," she said just as quietly. "If you're not wearing that, you'll die."

"Bullshit." He shoved it back into her hands and stomped away when she tried to give it back.

"I'll talk to him," Usagi offered.

Rei nodded sadly. "Just not outside, Usagi. In the house. In the vision, it happened outside." She closed her eyes again, and saw her brother fall, saw Usagi pull the gun from his body and shoot the assassin. "Inside," she repeated.

"Understood, Rei-chan."

###########################

Zechs sighed with relief when he touched the Epyon down on Rei's base, and stored it in a hangar. He immediately headed to the house to see his wife, and grinned when he grabbed her from behind, making her jump.

"How many years has it been," Noin grumbled, "and you can still sneak up on me? It's simply not fair, you know." Then she realized why Zechs had left in the first place, and ran a hand protectively over her flat stomach. "What did she say?"

"Aunt Serenity said that she won't take the child, that she could simply never do that to kin." Zechs buried his face in her hair for a moment and breathed in the smell of her, the smell of home. "I was made to understand, though, that if she develops her Plutonian powers, there would be a major issue."

Noin nodded, and relaxed against his hard chest. "At least we won't have to worry about that for a few years. We can train her in whatever else she has, Moon, Mercury, or Uranus, and just never tell her about the rest."

"My thoughts exactly."

**Alright, like it love it hate it? No matter which it is, I'd love some feedback if you have time! The next chapters is where the fun begins! And I mean the real fun… couples, FINALLY! Already wrote them chapters, too. Yes, there are several. All of our sexy G boys should get their own limelight and not some quick little thing. :D Love you guys!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Considering all of the sex that is in teen rated movies nowadays, AND on network television, the line between T and M is fuzzy for me. However, I strongly stress that this chapter is in that fuzzy area, so proceed at your own risk! And for the record, what does T mean? 13? 14? 15? Because I wouldn't have a problem with a 14 or 15 year old reading this, but 13 would be pushing it a little.**

**Also! I have a new fic out, in the DBZ/SM section, called the Golden Warrior. This fic is in desperate need of readers and reviewers, since that section is about dead. I'm trying to bring it back to life, but I've only got 2 reviews after 3 chapters… I'm not usually a review whore, but I'd really appreciate some input on the story. So please go check it out if you like DBZ! It's got lots of awesome moments! Love you guys so much, and thank you all for your support!**

Wufei slumped down on the couch in the living room next to his cousin, and made soothing little circles on her back with his hand. "So, since it's three in the morning and you're up and white as a sheet…"

"Yes, I had another dream," she grumbled.

"What was it about?" He asked conversationally. He'd learned from their stay at the temple that if he asked her without demanding an answer, Rei would usually tell him what she'd seen.

"Same thing, about Duo. Only… it feels more… I don't know. Urgent. Like it's going to happen any minute."

"Let me guess, the braided baka still won't wear the vest?" He rolled his eyes when Rei nodded. "What else did you see?" He patted her on the back when she opened her mouth to answer, but hesitated. He knew that look. "I won't tell anyone," he promised.

"I was holding a baby," she confessed softly. "I was nursing a baby with wild brown hair and blue eyes. Heero was in the room."

Wufei nodded in understanding. "You can't very well fight if you're pregnant. Are you?"

Rei shook her head quickly. "I took a test, and it was negative. Those things are pretty accurate within a few days of conception, so I should be safe. But the dream, it was also one of those that seemed set in stone." She looked up at him and gave a hesitant smile. "I dreamed about you, too… and a certain doctor."

Wufei rolled his eyes when she waggled her brows suggestively. "She's been avoiding me for two days, so I don't think your dream's very accurate. What happened in it?"

"Nope, not telling," she teased. "It'll happen, though, and soon. Just stay close to Ami for the next few days. Offer to help her every chance you get, so you'll have an excuse to be underfoot."

"You wanna go down to the barn and bother your dad? I hear they kicked you out of the barn before you even made it to the lab."

Rei giggled. "Yeah, the Prof was pretty pissed that I'd found them, and even more pissed when I explained how my powers had shown me he was there. He said something about a top-secret birthday present, and how my dreams had better not spoil the surprise. He was really glad to see me, though, I could tell. He brought the other scientists with him, too."

"Really?" Wufei asked. "I'll have to go down and pay my respects to O."

"Nope, him and the others want yall to leave them alone for now. Dad said something about there being surprises for all of you, and they don't want it ruined. I think they're doing upgrades," she added in a conspiratorial whisper.

They got up to make some coffee and eat some breakfast, since there was no point in going back to bed so close to the time that they had to get up, anyway. Duo joined them groggily around four, and left with Rei to help her milk the cows and feed the livestock.

Wufei smirked triumphantly when Ami came downstairs, took one look at him, and turned right back around to leave. "You're not going to be able to eat anything if you keep avoiding me," he pointed out.

"Who said I'm avoiding you?" She answered, poking her head back into the kitchen. "I just decided I wasn't hungry."

The Altron pilot huffed impatiently when she left without another word, and decided to take Rei's advice. He'd stalk her if that's what it took. He cared for her, and he'd be damned if he'd let her avoid him any longer.

###################

"Fence is down," Rei grumbled, "and I still have to deworm the damn heifers." She plopped down on the grass, under the tree that Ami was occupying, and leaned back against the trunk.

Ami looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "If you want to go work on the fence, I'll be happy to deworm the heifers for you. I know how to do it."

"Awesome," she sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, Ami, I don't know how I'd run this farm without everyone's help."

"You'd hire hands," she replied. "Obviously."

"And just to show my appreciation, I'll get Wufei to help me and stay out of your hair," she offered. She grinned when Ami looked relieved and troubled at the same time. "Why are you avoiding him, anyway? I thought you liked him. I know he cares for you. A lot, in fact."

The princess of Mercury shook her head. "Gomen, Rei, it's just that I was in a relationship not too long ago, and it turned out very badly. He wanted sex, and not much else."

Rei snorted. "Seriously, Ami? You think that's all Wufei wants from you?"

The doctor shook her head. "No, I know he wants more than that, but I can't help but be a little paranoid."

"God, Ami, you think too damned much with your head. Try thinking with your heart for a change, and you might be surprised at how much happier you are. Here," she said, and pulled a paper out of her pocket. "This is the list of cows that need deworming, just match up the numbers to the eartags. The medicine's in the tack room in the main barn. And watch out for the bull, he's loose, and he's a mean son of a bitch."

Ami chose not to respond to her first statement, and took the list. "I take it he's the reason the fence is down."

Rei shook her head in exasperation. "I'm cutting his balls off if he keeps this up, I swear." She thanked Ami again and took off to find Wufei. Plan A was in motion.

She grinned to herself in delight when she found her cousin in the workout room, and beckoned him to follow her. "Need your help." Rei didn't say another word as she led him out to the pasture with the downed fence, but her pleased smile told him something was up.

"Alright, woman, I know that look all too well. You look just like the baka. What's going on?"

"You're going to help me repair a fence for a little while… oh, about fifteen minutes should do it. Duo will be here by then to relieve you so you can go find Ami."

"Oh, really?" Now she definitely had his interest. "Anything to do with that dream?"

"Maybe," she replied in a sing-song voice. Rei shook her head emphatically when he pressed her for answers. "Nope, things have to work themselves out, Wufei. If I tell you everything, you'll likely just fuck it up. Men are good at that," she added wryly.

"Fine," he grumbled. Wufei wouldn't push his cousin for an answer, out of respect for the fact that she was a seer, and because she was trying to help him get the girl. He appreciated that, even if his analytical mind wanted an explanation.

They repaired the fence in relative silence until Wufei heard nearly silent footsteps coming up behind him. "Maxwell, if you try to tug on my hair, I will cut your fucking braid off in your sleep," he growled.

"Damn it, Wu-man, you're no fun," Duo sighed morosely.

"Any luck with your lady love?" Rei asked in a bored tone.

"No," he groaned, and plopped down next to his sister to help her with the fence.

Rei turned and tugged on his shirt. "Duo Maxwell!" She snapped angrily, "either you put that fucking vest on right after we're through out here, or so help me God!"

"I don't need it, baby sister," Duo snarled in reply. "Nothing's going to happen, and I'll be just fine, damn it."

"Baka, your sister is a seer. If she saw it, it's going to happen. The least you could do is hang your damned pride and listen to her," Wufei said as he concentrated on hanging the new line.

"I'm not going to get shot on this farm, damn it. Rei, you're wrong. Nothing's going to happen." His head jerked up from his work when he heard a sniffle. Was Rei _crying_? Duo pulled her to him in a tight hug when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, baby sister. Please don't cry."

"This gift isn't wrong, Duo. When have my dreams _ever _been wrong?" She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked up at him. "Please, Duo, wear the vest. I've already lost you once, please don't make me mourn you again."

Shinigami sighed, knowing when he was defeated. "Fine, I'll wear the stupid vest," he grumbled.

Wufei patted her on the back when she went back to her work, and smiled at her when she looked up. _Thank you_, she mouthed. "Didn't Ami need your help at the corral, out by the old barn?" She asked out loud.

"Oh, that's right, I damn near forgot," he said a little too brightly.

"Watch out for the bull," Duo advised. "I'm going to be eating that fucker if he takes out another fence, so help me God."

##################

"I thought you were a doctor."

Ami's head snapped up and she gasped in surprise to see Wufei standing less than two feet from her, leaning against the corral fence. "You scared the hell out of me."

He shrugged and smiled. "Sorry, we're all pretty quiet, even when we don't mean to be."

"It's alright." She returned his smile hesitantly and went back to work, deworming one of the calves. "And yes, I'm a doctor, but I told Rei I'd deworm these numbers for her." She nodded towards the clipboard on the ground. The list held the numbers that matched the eartags of the cattle that were due to be dewormed and have their shots. "Weren't you were mending the fence?" Damn it, Rei had assured her that she would be done with the cattle well before the boys ever finished mending that fence. They must have finished early.

Wufei nodded, and when she looked up at him, he was suddenly a bit self-conscious about his open shirt, displaying him from the waist up. He didn't close it, though; he didn't want her to see that she had that effect on him, especially after she'd avoided him like the plague since their arrival back on base. "Still can't find the bull, but I'm sure he'll turn up. Rei and Duo both agreed that plenty of the heifers are in season, so he won't stray too far."

"Did you know that a bull will never mate the same cow twice?" Ami asked. She was embarrassed the moment the words left her mouth; she was always spouting out useless information.

"Really?" He fought down a laugh at the thought, but couldn't keep a smile from his face. "Why?"

"Yes, really." She blushed when she looked up at him, unable to keep her eyes from lingering on all of those delicious muscles. Wufei was so slender that she would have never guessed he would be so well-built, but she had learned otherwise on Okinawa. Those lovely muscles rippled under his lightly tanned skin as he crossed his arms and smiled at her, waiting for an explanation. She looked away quickly, and let the calf go as she moved on to a heifer. "Bulls sow their oats with just about every female in the herd, and once they've done so, they're useless, and have to be sold or castrated."

Wufei winced at that word, and was suddenly very glad he wasn't a bull. He liked his balls just where they were. "Yes, but why do they do it? Why not get with one or just a few of the best cows and mate more than once?"

Ami shrugged. "Genetic diversity, most likely. Just like some men, bulls are on a mission to fuck every female of the species, no matter how long it might take." She realized a little too late that she'd sworn. "Gomen," she sputtered, "I think Rei-chan's rubbing off on me more than I thought."

"It's refreshing to hear you speak bluntly," he assured her. He hadn't missed the bitterness in her voice when she'd said "some men," and he suddenly wanted to comfort her. "Some men are fucking idiots."

Ami snorted, and moved on to the next heifer. "Yes, they are," she agreed dryly. Her eyes flickered over him again for a moment before turning back to her job. "Some aren't, though."

Had he been imagining it, or did she just check him out again? And was that a hint of a blush creeping up her face, or was it just the heat? It was pretty hot out, he had to admit, it was the reason he'd stripped his shirt off in the field and hadn't bothered to button it back up. Maybe she wasn't going to avoid him anymore. That would be wonderful.

He stepped up to the water pump and filled the tin cup hanging on the handle. "Thirsty?"

Ami gratefully took the cup, and couldn't ignore the way his fingers brushed against hers when he gave it to her. Maybe she should just say something, break the ice, and they could have a discussion about their relationship. "Arigato." She drank deeply, and handed back the cup, noting that his fingers brushed over hers once more. "You should probably drink something, too, you look overheated." Not that she was complaining; the way the sweat glistened on his chest was doing funny things to her heartbeat.

That was why she'd avoided him since their make-out session in the Altron. Every time she saw him, every time he got close to her, she found herself entranced by those coal black eyes, by that heavy stare he regarded her with whenever he looked at her. Only one man had ever been able to make her shiver in anticipation like that before she'd met Wufei, but he had been a prick and had left Okinawa the moment she'd mentioned the possibility of a long-term relationship. She was just glad she hadn't slept with him… in fact, that was probably part of the reason he'd broken it off.

Wufei watched her make a few faces while she moved on to the next animal, she was so deep in thought that she was oblivious to his presence at the moment. "He was a complete flaming idiot," he stated knowingly. So, that was her reason for pushing him away. Thankfully, he'd suspected her motives and understood them. It had taken him years to get over the loss of Meilan, but he could only speculate what she was going through. His situation was different; Meilan had died, so he'd mourned and moved on. Ami had her heart broken, and he imagined that was worse in some ways.

The doctor's face turned a deep red, and when she looked up into his eyes, she nodded. "Thank you," she said softly. When the heifer she was holding struggled, she didn't protest when he closed the gap between them to help. "Thank you," she repeated, this time more firmly, since she was referring to his help with the animal. She let him take over while she used one hand to force the cow's jaw open, and the other to fill its mouth with the medicine. When the next heifer also struggled, she rolled her eyes in a rare moment of impatience. "What is wrong with them all of a sudden? They were fine just a few minutes ago."

Wufei let the cow go out the opening in the corral, and his eyes lit on what was making them all so jumpy. "Ami," he warned quietly. He put himself instinctively between her and the bull, and nudged her backwards into the herd.

"Oh, no," she groaned. She dropped her worming tube on the ground, and didn't protest when he nudged her further with that beautiful muscular back. It pressed against her breasts, and she couldn't help the flutter in her stomach that leapt up from the sudden contact. A sudden flash of him, slipping his hands up her shirt, and caressing the bare skin beneath, popped into her mind. "We'll just move slowly, Wufei. Maybe he'll go away and leave us alone."

"Somehow I doubt that," Wufei replied, keeping his tone low. The bull entered the corral, and he wished he'd thought to have closed it behind the last cow he'd let out. He felt Ami stop, and ignored how nice it felt to have that softness pressed tightly against him. Now was not the time to be pitching a tent. "Over the fence," he whispered. "Quickly."

Ami turned and did she was told, grateful that she'd put on sneakers that morning. She hopped the fence as gracefully as she could in a skirt, and wished she'd had the common sense to wear jeans. "Come on," she urged, and reached across the corral fence.

He took her hand; not because he needed the help, but because she'd offered it. Even if it was offered in aid, and not in intimacy. He swung over the fence, and they both stared at the bull as it made its way across the pen. Its eyes never left them, and it snorted as it drew near. "Oh, shit," Wufei breathed, when the bull lowered its head and pawed at the ground. "Ami, _run._"

She didn't hesitate when she heard the hint of fear in his voice, and tightly clasped her hand around his as she took off across the pasture. She headed for the closest building; the barn, and hoped there was a room in there with a door that the bull couldn't break down. "Is it still behind us!" She yelled. When she heard the crash of the pen being knocked to the ground, she yelped, and looked behind her. Now that nothing was between them, the bull was running at full speed, and was quickly catching up with them. "Oh, shit!" She yelled.

Wufei overtook her easily, since she was running in a long skirt, but he kept his hand clasped tightly to hers, and drug her into the open air of the barn. He heard the bull roar from just outside, and knew it was still following them. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he spat in frustration. He spotted it then, an open door a little further in, and tugged Ami in behind him before slamming the door.

Ami was so terrified at the sound of destruction outside the door that she actually didn't notice that Wufei had his arm around her, and was clutching her tightly to his chest. She even wrapped her own arms around him and laid her head against his chest when the bull roared again and charged the door. The room shuddered. She yelped and buried her face in his chest, and shook in fear against him.

"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear. "The door opens outwards, so he'll have to shatter the frame to get in here." Wufei felt his pulse rise when he realized just _who_ he was embracing in a pitch black room, and couldn't help himself when he stroked his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. He'd been aching to touch her since she'd rejected him, and he wasn't about to pass up this golden opportunity. "I won't let him hurt you, I swear it."

Ami managed to stop trembling after a few moments, and realized just what she was doing. Her face was pressed into that chest she'd admired so much, and she was breathing in his familiar scent. She couldn't help but take a quick, deep breath, and enjoy the smell of sweat and hard work, heady and intoxicating. She also couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of safety and security that radiated from him. She gripped the back of his shirt and jumped when the bull charged the door again. "We need to get out of here, Wufei," she whispered. Not that she wasn't secretly enjoying being held by him, but she didn't want to get trampled and gored, either. The hand stroking her back disappeared, and she felt a pang of disappointment. He didn't know how much she was enjoying that caress, but she wasn't about to tell him, either.

Wufei felt around the wall for a light switch, and finally found one behind him. He clicked it up, and the lights flickered for a few moments. They were in a small tack room, one that had just been cleaned and rearranged by Trowa and Quatre, and it was packed to the brim with old saddles and riding equipment. The room shook again, and he swore when the lights went out. "I didn't see another door," he whispered. "Just a lot of stuff from one of the other barns."

Ami stiffened just a little when that other hand returned to the small of her back, now that she was all too aware of the predicament they were in. They were stuck in a storage room, packed full of random crap, without a lot of room to move, and in the pitch dark. And by the way the bull outside was roaring again, they were going to be in there for some time. At least it was cool in there, she mused. The room, like most of the other barns, was dug into the ground by about six inches, and stayed cool year-round no matter how hot it got outside. "I don't suppose you saw a cattle prod in here?"

"Great idea, but no, sorry." Wufei tried very hard to control his breathing when her head rested against his chest again, and her hair whispered against his bare skin. His hand started moving up and down her back again of its own accord, and he noted how thin her shirt was. He bit down on a gasp when he felt a soft hand against his chest when the bull charged the wall next to the door. The fingers curled over his heart, and when she pressed herself against him tightly, he found himself thinking of anything _but_ her in order to keep the little Wu-man from rising. Couldn't she feel how fast his heart was racing? He thought about suggesting that they separate and find a place to sit, but in the dark it would only result in lots of noise and bruises, and noise would only alert the bull outside. Besides, after she'd avoided him, he'd be damned if he was going to give up the enjoyment of holding her.

Ami closed her eyes and sighed a little against him. It was nice to be held by him again, and since it was dark and he couldn't see her blushing, she could enjoy this for a few minutes under the pretense of being scared of the bull. It was still out there, but it was obvious at this point that it wasn't going to get them, and she was no longer afraid of it. As long as it stayed out there, of course. If it did manage to break in, she'd probably scream in a high-pitched fashion that sounded a lot like Usagi. She gasped when he shifted, and something firm pressed against her thigh.

"Sorry," Wufei groaned. That was it, now she'd never speak to him again. He'd blown his one chance at regaining her affections, and it was all because his prick couldn't stay down.

She fought the urge to rub against him and rediscover what he would feel like at full mast, and managed to pull away from him a little before she did something stupid. Her rear ran into a saddle horn and she swore. She rubbed the sore spot and laid a comforting hand on his arm.

"It's natural, Wufei. I'm not offended." After all, she was a doctor, and knew better than most women how the male body reacted to physical stimuli. Hell, it was covered in her very first Biology course. She wasn't going to fault a man for becoming aroused when he had a woman's curves pressed against him in the dark.

She had been hoping to give him a little space to spare him further embarrassment, but there wasn't much room to work with. She was still pressed lightly against him, his bare skin just brushing against the thin sleeveless shirt that covered her. God, she suddenly wished she'd worn a bra. She bit down on her lip when she felt her breasts respond to the contact. A fleeting image ran through her mind unbidden, of Wufei taking them in his hands, lowering his mouth… her hand tightened around his arm, and she fought to breathe normally. _Now is _**not** _the time to get horny, Ami._

"Are you ok?" Wufei pretended he didn't notice her reaction, that top was more than thin enough for him to feel it. God, it was too tempting to simply yank her to him and kiss her until she was begging for more.

"Fine," she grit through her teeth. She jumped when the bull roared and charged again for the first time in a few minutes. Apparently they were talking too loudly. "We need to be quiet," she said under her breath.

"What?"

Ami leaned in a little closer, but stopped when her thigh pressed against him once more. She itched to step in just a bit more and rub her leg against him. She wondered what he'd do if she did. "I said, we need to be quiet. I think the bull can hear us. If he can't hear us, maybe he'll go away." The doorframe cracked a little when the animal charged again, and Ami squeaked and pressed herself against him tightly. "Sorry," she apologized, and tried to step back again.

Wufei didn't let her move. His arms were like steel bands around her waist, and he had started sliding his hand up and down her back again. His fingers lingered on the bit of bare skin between her skirt and her top, and slid up underneath the cloth just a little. "No, it's ok," he breathed against her mouth. Less than an inch and he would be kissing her, and it was becoming more difficult with every passing second not to close the gap. "I like holding you," he admitted a little shyly. In for a penny, in for a pound. "I would have liked to do it since we arrived, but you kept avoiding me," he said with a chuckle.

"Wufei…" she gasped at the feel of his breath against her lips, at the sensation of his fingertips stroking her bare flesh. She was completely oblivious to anything but the knowledge that she wanted him… and that he clearly wanted her, too. Ami tried to control her breathing when his lips pressed once against her shoulder, then twice.

He felt her stiffen, and rested his forehead on her shoulder in an attempt to get his libido under control. He couldn't help himself, he just had to kiss her, but didn't want to claim her lips until he was sure how she would respond. "I shouldn't have done that, sorry. You want your space, I get it."

"Don't be sorry." If anything, she hoped he would do it again. God, she had never reacted this way to a man before him, not even to the asshole that had left her on Okinawa. In an action completely at odds with her personality, she pressed her own lips against his bare chest, which was right at her eye level. "There, see," she said, "now we're even."

Wufei managed a little smile that he knew she couldn't see. "I kissed you twice, though," he teased. He gasped when she rose to the challenge and her mouth found his bare skin again. He knew he wasn't imagining it when her tongue just barely flicked out to taste his skin. Wufei noted the way her hand shook when he eased her chin up, and found himself very pleased that he was having this effect on her. "I think I owe you an extra one for that," he said huskily.

"Ok." She trembled, and her head craned back to expose her throat in invitation when his mouth found her neck and trailed a kiss to her ear. Her hips rocked forward just a little on their own… God, she suddenly had no control over her body. She gasped with pleasure when his hips surged against hers in reply, and his teeth tugged at her earlobe. "I don't think we're quite even anymore," she wheezed.

"What would you suggest?" His hands wandered lower, bunching up in her skirt, right at her thighs. He wanted more than anything to hike that piece of clothing all the way up and have her straddle him. He growled low in his throat when her mouth lit a trail of fire from his chest to the base of his throat. No longer able to control himself, he caught her mouth with his own and kissed her fiercely while he turned them and pressed her against the wall.

Ami moaned when his hands pushed up her skirt and he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and whimpered in submission when she felt him pressing insistently against her. She suddenly wished she hadn't worn any underwear; how easy it would have been then, just to unzip his pants and… apparently he was having the same thought, because he quickly lowered her back onto her feet and removed the offending garment that was keeping them from their pleasure.

"I want you, Ami, right now," he growled against her neck. He took her wordless moan as a yes, and stripped her shirt before lifting her back up to straddle him. "If you want me to stop, you need to tell me now," he warned. God help him, he wasn't even sure if he _could _stop if she told him to.

"Don't stop," she gasped, as her hands fumbled with the buttons of his pants. "Please don't stop."

He thrust inside of her without restraint, but instead of hearing a moan of pleasure, she gave a soft yip of pain. Oh Lord, she was a virgin, and he'd just deflowered her in a dusty tack room with an enraged bull outside the door. That was pretty far from romantic, in his opinion. "You could have told me," he whispered. Wufei was genuinely touched; she had given herself to him fully without a word or hint of hesitation, and that spoke volumes. He was honored to be her first, but God, he should have been making love to her in a bed... or at least _in _a room with a bed. He nipped along her neck and shoulder while she adjusted to his invasion, then fastened his mouth to one of her breasts.

"I didn't want you to stop," she said gently. Her eyes rolled back a little when his mouth moved over to worship the other mound. "You would have if I'd said anything." Practical Ami, always thinking ahead. She drew his head up and kissed him softly before moving her hips against him. "Let's stay quiet, though, I don't want the bull to come charging in."

"Oh, fuck the bull."


	28. Chapter 28

**Yet again, yall, fair warning! This is another chapter that is gonna go into that fuzzy area of T and M. Personally, I consider it T, with all the shit that they show on national television and get away with, but opinions are like assholes, right? And since I feel like it, this is just more of a fluffy feel-good chapter than anything else. I normally don't write the fluff, but poor Duo… I have to set it up just right for him. :)**

**And on a personal note, the summer semester is over! YESH! Now I can write some more, wooooo! Unfortunately for yall, I've been working really hard-fucking-core on a Vegeta x Usagi fic that just will not leave me the fuck alone. I've written something like over 150 pages just on that fucking pairing alone, and I STILL can't seem to get the beginning of it right so I can post it. It's getting annoying. Anyways, so yall have me back now, for two weeks, before the land of school calls me off into the void of non-writing once again. Enjoy those two weeks, yall, because if fall is anything like the summer was, I'll want to fucking shoot myself halfway through. **

"That dream sounded pretty interesting."

Rei rolled over and shook her head, snuggling against Heero after looking at the clock. It was only three-thirty damn it, she didn't need to be up for another half-hour, and she was milking it for all it was worth. "Don't remember much of it," she lied.

Heero sighed. This was getting old, and fast. She _did_ know that he knew she was lying, right? And having little to no tolerance for liars, he was being pretty fucking patient, considering that this had gone on for a few days. "Rei, what was the dream about?"

The princess of Mars mumbled something incoherent and just buried her face in his chest.

"I know you're awake, Rei," he said flatly. "Was the dream about me?"

She sighed and nodded a little. "You were in it, yes."

"But it wasn't about me?"

"Yes and no."

"Are you going to tell me about it?"

Rei finally rose up on her elbow and regarded him as seriously as she could at three-thirty in the morning after only four hours of sleep. "No," she finally answered, after a long moment. "It's not something you should worry about," she continued. "It really isn't. So could you please just drop it and let me go back to sleep?"

Heero frowned, but nodded. "I don't like you keeping things from me, Rei," he told her flatly. "You'll tell me soon?"

"And I don't like keeping things from you. I'll tell you eventually, I promise. I just don't want to talk about it, and I'm tired, damn it," she finished with a hint of a whine.

"Fine," Heero huffed. "Just don't lie to me anymore, alright?" His expression gentled a little when she wrapped an arm around him and kissed his neck. "It's really nothing bad, right?"

"Pht. You're so paranoid, Yuy. It's nothing bad, I swear. I just don't want to talk about it, ok? Now shut the fuck up and let me sleep for the rest of my half hour," she ordered tiredly.

#################

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ami blushed and tipped her head towards the door while she searched for her panties. "We wanted to keep this a secret for a while, right? I thought I'd better head back to my own room."

"Bullshit," Wufei snorted. "Get your ass back in bed, woman."

"But Wufei, what if someone walks in?"

The Altron pilot regarded her seriously for a moment, then cracked a smile. "I thought you were supposed to be a genius, Ami." When she simply gave him a puzzled look, he leaned forward and whispered, "lock the door."

"Oh." Ami turned crimson at the thought of such a simple solution, and did as he suggested before crawling back into his bed. "I should have thought of that, sorry."

Wufei chuckled good-naturedly and rolled her on top of him. "It's alright, it just means that I've fucked you stupid. I'm pretty proud of that."

Ami smiled a little, and timidly stroked his chest, still in awe of the fact that she'd finally taken the plunge with a man… and not just any man, but with the most sensual male she'd ever laid eyes on. And besides being in awe of that fact, she was more than just a little in awe of the man, himself.

"You alright?" He asked with a touch of worry._ God, please don't let her be upset with me. _He nearly let out a loud sigh of relief when she smiled shyly and gave a tiny nod. That shyness was just one of the things about her that was ridiculously attractive; he was determined to enjoy it as long as possible before it faded due to familiarity.

Wufei ran his hands through her short blue hair when she laid her head on his chest, that tiny smile still on her face. "You're perfect, you know that?"

Ami giggled. "And you're so full of shit your eyes are turning brown," she teased. She relaxed, stretching out, completely flush against that wonderfully hard body, as his hands began to trail up and down her back. She gasped when something hard suddenly pressed against her thigh.

"Sorry," Wufei grumbled, "I know you're too sore."

Ami's eyes softened and she shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's just that everything I learned in psychology about sex seems to be grossly incorrect. Most men shouldn't be ready to go again that quickly."

"Quickly? It's been five hours, woman."

"Yes, but we—" She felt her face grow hot in embarrassment. "—I mean, six times in one night, Wufei? That's superhuman, or something. You should be recorded in a medical journal. How could you possibly want more after last night?"

Wufei grinned at her unintentional comment and slid her up his chest a little to rub against her. "I _always_ want you," he said flatly. He smiled lazily when she looked up at him, her face beet red.

"Oh." Ami simply didn't know what else to say to such a bold statement, and found herself wanting to give in to him, despite the ache between her legs. She lifted her hips just a little, and joined their bodies slowly. "And now?" She whispered.

"Always," he repeated, taking her hips in his hands as she began to move. "You're not too sore?"

Ami nodded a little. "I'm sore, yes. But this feels good more than it hurts," she replied shyly. "Just go slow."

"Woman, I'll gladly do whatever you want."

#########################

Quatre was growing frustrated with Makoto. He'd kissed her a few a times since their return from Okinawa, but she had grown skittish lately. She'd avoided being alone with him, and while she had eagerly returned his kisses, she grew timid whenever he'd tried to go a little further. God, he wanted her so badly it felt like his head was going to explode. He had never been one to give over to lust, but that busty Amazon was turning him into a sex-starved beast.

And she seemed oblivious to it, too. Quatre wasn't going to label her as a cocktease, because he had only realized that morning that she was likely a virgin. It fit, since she was dodging his advances at every turn, but how in the hell could such a gorgeous creature still be untouched? He sighed with longing as he took a sip of the strong coffee that Rei had brewed for all the early-risers that helped her with the milking and the chickens.

"You alright, Q-man?" Duo asked. He strode into the kitchen, poured a cup of java, and since Heero wasn't in the room, he drank it black. "God, this is diesel fuel," he sputtered, and hurried to put a couple spoonfuls of sugar in it. He noted that Quatre had ignored him, and flicked his braid behind his back. "So, what's wrong? Looks like love to me."

The pilot of Sandrock glanced up at Duo and shook his head. "You wouldn't understand," he said gloomily.

"Why not? I'm having my own troubles, if you hadn't noticed." It certainly wasn't like Usagi had noticed his advances. Ok, fine. She'd totally noticed, she was just hell-bent on ignoring them.

"Yeah, but you're _enjoying_ the chase." Quatre took a sip of his drink and knew he was right when he saw Duo wearing a little smirk. "See?"

"Ok, I'll admit, it is pretty fun chasing Usa's skirt. It'll just be that much better when I finally make that little moon princess all mine." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and smiled privately when he made Quatre smile, just as he'd intended. "Just think of how wonderful it'll be when she gives in to you, Q-man."

"I can't seem to get more than a few little kisses here and there," he admitted. "Then she suddenly realizes something she had to do, or finds another excuse to run away."

"Seduce her, Quatre." Duo stepped up and gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder. "Dude, you're one of the ballsiest motherfuckers I've ever known." After the episode with Quatre flying Wing Zero, it was true. "You may seem all soft and sweet on the outside, but on the inside, you're fucking _hardcore_. Show her that, and she won't run. I guarantee it."

"What if I come on too strong, and she gets freaked out? I don't want to hurt her, Duo. I really care for this girl."

Duo rolled his eyes and sat down at the table across from him. "Listen to me, man. If she balks at the He-Man thing, you can always apologize and say you couldn't help yourself, that she's just so damn beautiful that you got caught up in the moment. Chicks eat that shit up."

While Quatre couldn't stand Duo's attitude about women half the time, he had to admit that his friend was right. If it didn't work, he could back out gracefully with a compliment, by way of an apology. Mako had wandered off after they'd finished their morning chores, so he figured he'd just go find her. "Thanks, Duo," Quatre said.

"Anytime, man. And if you get any ideas that might help me get my little moonrabbit, I'm all ears." He noted the glint of resolve in Quatre's eyes when the other man nodded at him, and grinned with pleasure. "Somebody's getting laid tonight!" He said with glee, once he heard Quatre close the front door behind him.

He sighed after a minute. "Wish it was me." While the other guys assumed his chasing of the moon princess was only to put another notch in his belt, his intentions were quite the opposite. Something about her smile, her laugh, her quirkiness, made him ache to hold her, to keep her safe. It was alright, though, it didn't matter what everyone else thought, so long as Usagi knew his feelings for her were genuine. Somehow, he just had to make her realize that.

Quatre went around the house to the back steps, which led down into the basement and the rooms that the guys were quartered in. He took a fast shower, since he'd been out with the animals all morning, and threw on some fresh clothes. Nothing fancy, just a white button-down shirt that accentuated his physique and a pair of black slacks. He studied himself in the mirror. He was no longer that skinny blonde fourteen year old from AC 195. He'd prided himself on taking care of his body, just as the other pilots had, and he'd grown into a man that any woman would drool over. "Alright, Mako," he said to his reflection, "mission accepted."

He found her in the barn closest to the house, which Rei had set up as a small gym. Makoto was going to work on the heavy bag, and judging by the way she'd just kicked it, something was really bothering her. Quatre studied his prey quietly, the way she moved, the sweat that was dripping down her face, her neck, then trailing down into the shadows of her sports bra. _Wow_, he thought, as his eyes travelled down her body, noting that she probably wasn't wearing any underwear beneath that very small pair of workout shorts. He slipped his hands into his pockets when she turned and glared at him. "What?"

"Nothing you did," she managed, and gave the bag one more punch for good measure, hitting it so hard that it smacked the wall behind it. Makoto bit the Velcro holding on her black fighting gloves, and yanked it back roughly. "Duo made a few comments when I was coming in from the barn, and I thought I'd blow off some steam." She shoved her gloves in her gym bag with a huff. The workout had only managed to rile her even further.

Duo? Why hadn't he mentioned that before? Quatre suddenly smelled something fishy, but wasn't about to voice his suspicions. "What did he say?" He didn't have to ask again when she blushed fiercely and shook her head in response. Apparently he'd touched on the very subject Quatre had come out here to address. "Feel like taking it out on a male?" He offered, and slowly began to unbutton his shirt.

"Huh?" She asked in alarm, and fought not to back away from him. However, Makoto couldn't force her eyes from him as his shirt slowly opened, baring his skin. He was a lot more muscular than she'd imagined, and when he removed the shirt and draped it over a leg machine, she licked her lips at the sight of his bulging arms, his rippling back.

He smiled just a little bit while his back was to her. Apparently she wasn't the only one with sex on the brain, if she'd taken his offer to spar the wrong way. He could feel her little flutter of arousal as she checked him out. Maybe he should have tried this sooner. "I meant, would you like to try some hand-to-hand with another person? I find it helps relieve stress." _So do other things, _he added silently.

"Oh. Of course that's what you meant," she said quickly. She wiped off the sweat, and threw her towel over a bench. "What style do you prefer?"

_Missionary. _Quatre shrugged, and turned to face her, moving to the mats on the floor. "Surprise me. I'll try to counter with whatever you throw at me."

"Ok, pretty boy," she said lightly, suddenly switching from deer in the headlights to confident fighter. "You asked for it." She was tall, and had always favored using her legs when fighting, then switching to holds and punches once she had her opponent on the ground. But Quatre was four inches taller than her, so she would have to resort to low sweeps and kicks. She had to admit to herself that it was refreshing to have a man that was taller than her for once. She always hated being taller than her previous boyfriends and it was usually what ended most of her relationships. She reveled in the sudden thought that she could actually wear heels and not tower over him.

"You going to hit me, or stare at me?" Quatre asked, easing into a familiar sparring stance that he used with Trowa.

"Just sizing you up," she said primly, and slid her left foot back into a comfortable crouch.

"Size doesn't matter much, you know. A tiny ninja can be just as deadly."

Makoto snorted. "Think pretty highly of yourself, huh?" She flew at him suddenly in a flurry of kicks, and yelled in frustration when he grabbed one of her legs, flipped her, and pinned her to the mat on her stomach. "Damn, that was pretty fast," she said breathlessly.

"Don't worry; I'm not fast when it counts. Unless you want me to be, of course." He grinned when she scrambled to her feet in a hurry to get out of his grasp. "What, scared of the pretty boy?" He beckoned her with a single finger. "Come on, babe," he taunted, emulating Duo.

"Oh, you're so getting your ass kicked," Makoto growled. She went at him again, this time mixing in punches with her kicks. She smirked when he grunted at the connection of her foot with his knee. But when she followed up with a punch aimed at his face, her arm was grabbed, she was spun in place, and she found herself standing with her back to him, being held firmly against that rock-hard chest. She bit her lip in pain when he flexed his arm; he was an awful lot stronger than her, she had to admit. The submission hold he had her in was new to her, so she wasn't exactly sure how to break it. "Let me go," she said with a snarl.

"Say uncle," he whispered in her ear, letting his breath tickle her skin. His tongue barely grazed against the lobe before he bent his head to kiss her throat.

Ignoring his attempt to make her knees weak, she threw her elbow into his solar plexus, lowered her center of gravity, and spilled him over her back and onto the floor. He still had a good grip on her, however, so they rolled around and tussled until she got her legs wrapped around his neck. "Your turn. Say uncle."

He gave her a saucy wink when her thighs tightened. _What a way to go_. He looked right into the gap between her shorts and her legs, and studied it carefully. He'd been right about her lack of panties, and suddenly barked out a laugh. "Nice underwear." He kissed her inner thigh, flicking his tongue out to taste her skin, and felt her little ripple of pleasure mixed with astonishment. Good, this was working. Quatre kissed a little higher, grazing his tongue against her, less than an inch from the junction of her thighs. "Let me taste you, Mako," he whispered hoarsely.

Makoto's face flushed crimson, and she crawled backwards to get her crotch out of his line of sight and away from his mouth. The spots where he'd kissed her burned, but in a good way, and she found herself wanting to let him continue.

"I was enjoying the view, for what it's worth." _And if you'd held still, I would have taken you with my mouth. _Too bad she'd missed out on that opportunity, he'd been told by the few women he'd been with that he was quite skilled in that department.

"It's the only one you're gonna get," she growled.

When she left the mat and started packing her gym bag, he frowned. "What? I never knew you to be a quitter, Mako." He leaned against the wall, arms folded over his chest, and tried to look as enticing as possible.

Her head snapped around and she glared at him. Why was he suddenly being mean to her? Had Duo said something to him about their argument? She'd said some things in haste to Rei's brother, but she didn't mean them; she was just nervous about getting close to a man. Every time she did, she wound up with her heart broken, and she simply didn't want that to happen this time. True, Quatre had treated her with nothing but respect, and lately he was so passionate when he kissed her… no, he was just like the others, he only wanted one thing. `

"Mako," Quatre said gently, and slowly approached her. He could feel the emotions rolling off of her in waves; his gift of empathy was just as open now as when he'd walked in the gym. "Whomever hurt you in the past… he isn't me. I didn't intend to hurt your feelings, I was just joking around. Well, _mostly_ joking," he allowed. "I can't seem to help myself around you; you're so gorgeous it makes me crazy." He knew he'd won her over when her eyes smiled, even if her mouth didn't. _Thank you, Duo, for that awesome line._

"Pervert," she said with a roll of her eyes. She did manage to smile a little, though. She sighed heavily when his arms enfolded her from behind, and couldn't help but notice his sweat-slicked muscles rubbing against the skin that her bra didn't cover. "Fine," she groaned in mock annoyance. "Get on the mat so I can kick your ass." She tossed her bag back onto the bench and moved to where he was already waiting for her.

"I promise to keep my mouth to myself if you want to use that leg hold again," he said, crossing his heart. "I rather enjoyed having your thighs wrapped around my face." _Now only if you'd sit on it. _He grinned when she blushed at the innuendo, and quickly dodged when she came at him. "You'll have to move faster than that, baby."

"I'll get you," she said, bordering on teasing. She had to admit that this was fun, finally having someone to train with. Rei would work out with her on occasion, but the farm kept her so busy that all of her spare time was spent with Heero. All of the other girls whined that she hit too hard.

He didn't move when she punched at him again. He grabbed both of her arms and expertly pinned them between their bodies, pulling her tight against him. "Uncle?" He asked.

"Never." She swept her leg around his ankle and gave it a sharp tug so that she fell on top of him. "Damn it," she sputtered, when it didn't break the hold he had her in. She was on top, but she was definitely not in the dominant position. She wasn't surprised when he quickly rolled on top of her. She fought to free her arms, and managed to slip them out of his grasp, only to find them pinned to either side of her head.

"Uncle?" He asked playfully. "You can't get out of this one, Mako, I easily weigh fifty pounds more than you."

_Yeah, fifty pounds of pure muscle._ She managed not to shiver at the thought of all of that muscle, bare and pressing her against the mat. "Nope. I'll get out of it one way or the other." She gasped when his mouth lowered so that he was breathing against her neck. Ok, now those muscles were impossible to ignore.

"No, you won't," he promised softly. "But I don't have the slightest problem with being on top of you." Quatre lowered himself so that his chest was pressing against hers, and ran his lips against the base of her throat.

Makoto suddenly felt the urge to rock her hips against his, to capture his mouth with her own. She pushed it back down to wherever it had come from, and wiggled to get free, but it only seemed to excite him further. She could already feel him, hard as a rock, pressing against the gap between her thigh and her shorts_. God, I should have worn underwear._

Quatre noted when her lips parted to say uncle, but he brought his mouth down on hers to keep her from speaking the word. _Oh no, you're not getting out of it that easily. _He could feel her arousal as he ground his hips against her possessively and kissed her like he'd wanted to truly kiss her since he'd first met her; he'd been holding back everything whenever he'd kissed her before, but he wanted her to know, just this once, how much he wanted her.

Mako wasn't sure how to react when he kissed her; it was nothing she'd ever experienced before. It wasn't one of those chaste little kisses he'd been giving her, with just a hint of tongue. It wasn't even one of the more passionate kisses he'd given her back on Okinawa, and since they'd returned. God, and she'd thought _that _had been intense. This was a kiss that made something primal in her claw its way to the surface. It was hard, rough, and full of need. It was a brutal mating of their mouths, a savage dance of their tongues.

This was a kiss that made her feel like a woman.

She was suddenly aware of her body in ways she never had been; she felt hot and uncomfortable, and her clothes, as scant as they were, were only making things worse. Her waist rose off the floor involuntarily when he growled low in his throat and pressed his hips against hers in a display of dominance.

When he finally broke away from her, he felt a little smile breaking through, despite the haze of need fogging his mind... or was that her need he felt, too? She looked groggy, drunk, and every bit as beautiful as he had ever seen her. _I did that. Damn right. _He couldn't help but feel a little proud at his accomplishment of turning Makoto into a trembling, gasping puddle of goo. God, she made him feel like a man. At that thought, he possessively caught her throat between his teeth, and when she gasped with pleasure, he nibbled his way down to where her bra met bare skin. He bit down on the hem of the cloth and tugged at it like a frustrated animal.

Makoto blinked and looked down at him. "You'll need your hands for that," she said, unable to keep the hint of nerves out of her voice.

She felt frozen in place by the dominating stare he gave her when he looked up. "Don't you dare move," he warned.

"I won't," she gasped, and wondered just what he'd do if she tried to get away. Her arms were suddenly free, and she felt him slide his hands around her back, and pull them both up in a sitting position. The clasp on her back suddenly parted, and her breath caught in her throat when she felt the cotton float to the floor. "Quatre," she whispered, when his eyes wandered down her body. His eyes held a steely, possessive edge that sent a shiver travelling down her that stopped to burn between her legs. He kissed her then, and she was on her back again, their bare skin sliding when it made contact. She had never felt so soft, so vulnerable, in her entire life.

Her hands clutched desperately at his back when his mouth went lower to worship the skin her bra had been hiding. "We need to stop," she suddenly moaned, but her words were accompanied by a needy grinding of her hips against his.

"No," he growled against her breast. "We definitely don't need to stop." He thrust against her primally when her hips moved against his, and shifted his hands lower to slip her shorts down. He wasn't surprised when she actually helped him by lifting her back a little. She had been talking with her brain, her insecurities. She wanted him; she just wouldn't admit it to herself.

All that separated them now were his pants, but he waited. If she truly wasn't ready, she'd stop him once she realized she was naked. And once nothing separated them but air, he didn't think he _could_ stop. Quatre focused on caressing every inch of the newly bared skin, and kissing her until she was drunk on him. The next words that came out of his mouth were the hardest he'd ever said in his life. "Mako," he gasped. He knew he couldn't wait another moment to make love to her, if he did, he thought he'd die of a heart attack.

Makoto's eyes cracked open when he suddenly stopped the onslaught of kisses. He was still stroking her skin in a way that made her burn, but she could think just a little as long as his lips stayed away from hers. "Huh?" She asked dumbly.

He was the old, gentle Quatre again… or at least as close to his gentle self as possible while he was that aroused. "I won't break your heart if you say no." He had to say those words, especially after she'd already asked him to stop once. He smiled at the blank, glazed look in her eyes, and knew that if he kissed her right then, he could have her without resistance. The fact that she wanted him was overwhelming his Venusian gift. And God, he wanted her, too. "Say yes," he whispered in her ear, and pressed himself against her. One of his hands moved on its own to the clasp on his pants when she kissed his neck, trailing her way to his collarbone. It was now his turn to moan with pleasure at the feel of her mouth on his skin. One swift motion with his fingers, and he was free, and pressing against her, hard and naked and all hers.

Makoto whimpered with need and pressed against him as she wrapped one long leg around his waist. She dug her nails into his muscular backside and growled in frustration when he suddenly pulled away a little. Apparently his plan had worked a little _too _well.

Fuck it. When her other leg wrapped around his waist to lock him against her, he sank into her and kissed her like he'd die if he didn't. To her credit, she only gave a small grunt at his invasion. "_Not_ a tiny ninja," she gasped in pain, when he thrust through her barrier.

_Oh, but it's very deadly. _"Shh, it only hurts for a second. Then it'll feel incredible," he assured her. His hands wandered again while he kissed her and waited for the hurt to subside. "Tell me when you're ready," he groaned, fighting for the self-control he needed not to simply take her hard and fast, like he wanted to. Slow and easy the first time; next time he could have her how he wanted. He just prayed she would adjust to him quickly; he was going to burn up if he had to wait much longer to move inside of her.

Makoto sighed when his tongue stroked her neck, just over her pulse, and sent it racing again before lowering once more to her breasts. She arched into him a little, and when he moved, she gasped in surprise at how wonderful it felt. "Ready," she whispered.

########

Duo sighed, and pushed away the envy that threatened to fill him when he heard the sounds of heated lovemaking coming from just inside the door. There was a hurried whisper from Quatre, something he couldn't hear, and it was followed with a woman's soft moan of surrender. "Good for you, Quatre." He smiled sadly, wishing with all his soul that it was him and Usagi in there instead. He walked away just as he heard Makoto gasp Quatre's name. He wasn't there to eavesdrop, only to check on his friend's success. "Soon, my little moonrabbit," he promised. "Soon."

**Ok, I hope this chapter made you QxM fans very happy! And sorry it took a hot minute to bust it out, yall know I have school!**

**Topaz: LOVE YOU MORE! :D I'll call you if I ever get a fucking signal, girl! Boost took down all the towers out here!**

**Minnie: Hey, that endurance isn't that hard to acquire! Trust me, I know from experience, and my sex-crazed husband! Though lately, with all the smut-writing I've been doing (especially with the Golden Warrior and my new VxU fic), it's been me jumping him and not the other way around. Mmm… yummy Saiyan warriors… hehehe, sorry. And thank you, coming back and writing this fic is like finding an old friend again, even though I had to strip that friend down and completely make it over. **

**Guests: Thank you so much! I see one of yall is an old-time reader, so I'm really glad you're enjoying it! And thank you, Guest 2, I'm trying my best to make this a compelling story, and not your run-of-the-mill romance!**


	29. Chapter 29

**This chapter is VERY long yall. And it FINALLY concerns a certain blonde and our favorite braided pilot! So enjoy, and PLEASE review! Fanfic authors only get paid in reviews, and it's the best and most appreciated currency we can get!**

"Why do you look like a cat that ate the canary?"

Grinning at his suspicious smile, Rei fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from her brother, grinning ear to ear. "I know you something you don't know," she sang teasingly.

Having played this game with her countless times growing up, Duo leaned back, balancing the chair on only the rear legs. "And that is?" He finally asked, when she was obviously waiting for him to take the bait.

Rei merely shook her head a little and continued to grin at him, her violet eyes sparkling with mischief. "You know better than that, my dearest, sweetest, brother. You have to guess." She drew out that last word, singing it a little, before giggling into her coffee cup.

"Alright," he chuckled, also sipping at his drink. "I'm game. The only thing that makes my wonderful baby sister grin like a maniac… especially this early in the morning… is luuurve. So, did Heero finally ask you to marry him?" Duo laughed when Rei turned bright red. "No, then?"

"Actually," she coughed, "he did. But I haven't given him an answer," she muttered quickly.

Duo nearly lost his balance in the half-tipped chair and it thunked back down hard enough to make his jaw click. "You _what_! I thought you two were madly in love?"

Rei waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. "I'm going to say yes, obviously." The grin spread across her face again as she remembered the real piece of information she was withholding. "Besides, that not what I know that you don't know."

Duo tipped back onto the rear legs of the chair again and rocked a little as he thought. "Hmm… ok, other matters of luuurve… you're not pregnant, are you?" He asked darkly, his mouth turning down in a deep grimace. "Because if you are, you'd better marry that asshole, and soon." That easy grin of his returned when Rei blushed again and furiously shook her head. "Good, I don't think I'm quite ready to be an uncle." He tilted his head a little and studied her. "Ok, I give up, baby sister. And I offer you a bit of information in return."

"Such as?" Duo had her full attention; he never offered her info in exchange unless it was damned good! "Does it concern…" Her eyes sparkled as she grinned. "Luuurve…?" Her grin got even wider and she laughed loudly when he nodded emphatically. "You first, then, big brother. I'm all ears."

Duo thunked his chair back down and leaned across the table to whisper conspiratorially. "Quatre and Makoto."

Rei's eyes went wide and she nearly spit her coffee out in amazement. "NO. You lie!"

Her older brother only laughed and shook his head. "Seriously," he continued in a hushed tone, "I gave Quatre this pep talk a couple mornings ago, and he went out to the workout room and seduced the fuck out of her!"

"Waitwaitwait! You stood there and watched! You pervert!" Rei smacked at his arm when he laughed.

"No, I only went out there for a couple of minutes to eavesdrop, you know? See if the pupil had managed to glean any knowledge from the uber-master of seduction." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively before leaning in a little further. "And when I went out there, I heard Makoto moaning."

Both of them just stared at each other for a moment, and if a third party had been there, they would have seen Duo and Rei's uncanny twin-like behavior. Their mouths twitched up simultaneously, they snickered in sync with each other, then proceeded to laugh like a couple of maniacs, their heads thrown back at the same angle.

"God, and here I thought you hadn't picked up any of the baka's more annoying qualities." Wufei rolled his eyes as he strode through the kitchen to the counter, and proceeded to fix a tray of food.

The twins smirked at him identically and Wufei merely huffed a little. "I have to admit, that's creepy, cousin. You're sure that you two aren't actually siblings?"

"Do you want us to be, Wufei? That would make Duo your cousin, too." She laughed when he made a face and let out a noise of disgust.

"Doesn't matter, baby sister. The Wu-man and I are blood brothers, remember? He's got a pint of grade A Duo-juice running through his veins."

"I don't think I'm hungry anymore," the Altron pilot muttered. However, he continued to pile on the food; most of it consisted of pastries and fruit.

Rei held up a hand when Duo opened his mouth to further annoy Wufei, and he obeyed the silent command when her eyebrows lifted as she studied the tray. "Cousin… that's an awful lot of food for just _one_ person… despite how much I know you can eat."

Duo gaped. Did the Wu-man just… blush? Holy Mother of God, he did! He was blushing! He cleared his throat for a moment, a fresh grin spreading across his face of its own accord. "It's awfully early to be waking Ami up for breakfast, don't you think?"

"Yeah, cousin, I thought she was up half the night doing research. You're really going to wake her up this early?" Rei schooled her features to keep from grinning at the man.

"She hasn't slept yet," Wufei replied smoothly, impressed for a moment at his ability to recover his cool and collected demeanor. It wasn't exactly a lie; Ami _hadn't _been to sleep yet… and neither had he. But the only research they'd really been doing was on each other. Yes, lots of research. Naked research. His mouth curved upwards in a smirk as he poured them both some coffee, completing his early-morning—or was it simply late-night for them?—offering to his little blue-haired goddess. "I'm going to try and make her get some sleep after she's eaten something."

Rei shot him a genuine smile. She wasn't buying it for a minute, but if Wufei wanted to keep the relationship a secret for a little while, she understood. "That's sweet of you, Wufei." Violet eyes fluttered half-shut for a moment as she laid a hand on his arm for a second and used their bond as Martians to speak with him silently. She wouldn't give away his secret to Duo. _**You tell me if you two want to share a room later on, and I'll make the arrangements. **_"Make sure you get some sleep, too."

Her hand was gone just as quickly as he'd felt it; she only needed one moment to convey that message. Giving her a barely perceptible nod to show her that he'd heard her, he picked up the tray, quickly stalking out of the kitchen towards the basement.

Duo waggled his finger in front of him and tsked at her chidingly. "Don't think I haven't forgotten, sister-mine. You owe me information," he sang gleefully.

Snapped back to the previous conversation, Rei beamed brightly. "I nearly forgot! So… how badly do you want this info?" She teased. She giggled when he pouted, and they both rocked back on the rear legs of their chairs. "It concerns a certain… _blonde._"

The chair he was sitting in froze, still balanced, but no longer rocking. His eyes went wide and he gaped at her. "NO. You lie! What is it! Tell me, Rei!" Any details on Usagi were vital to him. He wanted to know everything about her, anything that could possibly aid in his pursuit of her.

Rei smiled for real. Poor Duo, he was so in love with Usagi that it seemed the only one that didn't know it was the object of his affections. "Well, I was talking to Minako, trying to get some info for you, and it turns out that your moonrabbit likes footrubs and backrubs. Hang on, that's not it, you know I'm better at getting intel than _that_. Her favorite flower is a rose, she loves sushi rolls… and… she likes you. _Like_ likes you." She nodded when Duo's jaw dropped. "She admitted it to the princesses a few days ago."

"Then why does she act like I'm the bane of her existence?" He moaned, tilting his chair forward to bury his face in his arms.

Rei shrugged. "Dunno. But whatever you're doing, it's working. I suggest you try and just be genuine with her, rather than being your goofy self. She said something about that, too."

"She did?" He asked, hope shining in his eyes as he peeked up through his arms.

"Yeah. Usagi commented on how you acted during and right after the battle, and she admitted that she thought you were…" Rei leaned forward a little, her eyes twinkling. "…sexy." She chuckled when Duo looked so overjoyed that she thought he might explode. "She's also exhausted with all of the dishes she has to do lately, and wishes she had some more free time."

Duo immediately focused on the sink behind his sister, already filling up. And it was only five in the morning. "Gotcha, baby sister." He immediately rose, removed his jacket, and grabbed a dish towel. His moonrabbit was going to have a few chore-free days, damn it. Anything to get some time alone with her.

#####################

"Still no sign of them?"

"No, sir, we've deployed soldiers all over North America, though. Our intel shows that the Gundams landed somewhere in the Midwest, but we don't know for sure their exact location."

Hyler carefully sat up, mindful of his injuries. "Bring me Relena. Tell her that I'm ready to consider her offer in exchange for some information."

#######################

Duo tugged at the Kevlar under his t-shirt and fought against the sudden urge to strip it off and throw it on the bed. "Only for you, baby sister," he grumbled, and shrugged on his blue jeans. He loved Rei deeply, but he had to admit that he was only wearing any type of protection because she'd actually cried when he'd refused to do it. Apparently she'd had a few of those psycho moments while he'd been dead, and Heero and Usagi had privately cautioned him to listen to anything Rei told him to do, _especially _if she said she'd seen it in a dream. He'd even seen a flicker of concern in the Perfect Soldier's eyes when Duo told him exactly what Rei had begged him to do.

So, here he was, wearing a stupid bulletproof vest, for no other reason than his sister's dreams had told her he was going to get shot. He looked in the full-length mirror on the wall and sighed. At least it was lightweight enough to be easily concealed by his shirt. If it had been easily noticeable, he wouldn't have worn it. The last thing he wanted was for everyone to take one look at his attire and judge him for a pussy.

Hell, even in battle, it would have been one thing. But on the farm! This was the safest fucking place in the world for them. It was large, there were plenty of places for them to hide, they knew the lay of the land, and totally had the advantage over any intruder. Not to mention that it was being occupied by seven pilots that were crack shots with any weapon that landed in their hands.

Only one thing could make him feel better about his situation at the moment, and that was finding a certain moonrabbit and antagonizing her. He left the basement and went around the front to grab a cup of coffee. As an afterthought, he poured one for Usagi, too, and stuck a muffin on a plate for her. He'd waited an hour to bother her, but he couldn't wait any longer. At best, she was a bitch this early in the morning, but if he came bearing gifts she was more likely to tolerate his presence.

"Wakey wakey, babe."

Crystal blue eyes cracked open at the sensation of something tickling her nose, and she stared into the violet-blue eyes of a grinning man. "Pervert!" She screamed, and smacked him with the first thing she could grab.

Duo held his nose and stared up at her in surprise from the floor. "_God_, Usa! You got a brick in there or something?"

Usagi blinked, and looked down at the knapsack in her hand. "It's filled with comic books," she replied tartly and immediately laid back down in the bed, jerking the covers over her head. "It's not even daylight," she groaned. "_Piss off_."

"I brought food." Duo rubbed his nose one more time just to make sure it wasn't broken, and scooted to her bedside. He lifted the edge of the covers, and saw a single blue eye staring daggers at him. "You're so cute when you're pissed off. Come on, Usa, get up. I'll do anything you want, I swear it."

"Like what?"

He suppressed a triumphant smile when the ire in that single eye shifted to interest. "The possibilities are endless, babe. We could go for a walk, or horseback riding, or take a shower together, or I could rub your feet, or your back, or _other_ things…" He stopped when she groaned, rolled that one eye, and shifted to lay on her other side.

"I'm not spending the day with a pervert, Duo. I have better things to do. Like _sleep._" She jerked the edge of the covers back down when he lifted them to look at her again.

"I was just trying to make you laugh." He tried hard not to pout, but found himself doing so anyway. Maybe he should try being genuine, like Rei suggested. "I didn't mean the last part… well; I would rub your feet or your back if you asked me to."

_And if I asked you, you'd do the rest of it, too, _she added in her mind with a snort. She closed her eyes and tried her best to go back to sleep, but she couldn't while he was still sitting right next to her, his mind humming with that boundless energy that always screamed "Duo!" whenever he entered a room.

Usagi brushed her mind against his so lightly that he couldn't feel her presence, and listened to his surface thoughts. She cringed at first, the last time she'd done this, she'd picked up on some very carnal thoughts about her. She could barely admit to herself that while she'd been initially disgusted with him, it had awoken a hint of curiosity within her.

She'd never wanted a man before, but lately she found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss him, to let him touch her like he had in those little fantasies that had been running around in his mind. And in all of those sexual imaginings, Duo had pictured her in complete rapture, clutching at him desperately for more. Would being with him really feel that good…? _Ugh, I should __**not **__be thinking these things!_

The moon princess found none of those thoughts when she listened in on him. She felt a little guilty for eavesdropping on his private conversation with himself, but was intrigued to find him moping.

_I just wanted to spend some time with her. _Duo sighed out loud. _She's never going to __**really**__ like you, just give it up already. _

Usagi blinked when an image flashed in his mind of Quatre and Makoto. Or rather, an image of the outside of the barn they used as a training room, and a memory of the sounds of passion coming from within, while Duo tried not to feel envious of their union. She felt a longing so strong run through him that it brought tears to her eyes. _Poor Duo. I didn't know he liked me _that _much._ She rolled over on her back, sighed heavily, and instantly felt his thoughts returning to that steady thrum of energy. She jerked up the covers over her legs and wiggled her toes. "Fine," she grumbled, and was suddenly very glad she hadn't slept naked, as was her custom at home.

"I knew you'd succumb to my wiles." Duo grinned, and took a tiny perfect foot in his hands. His fingers moved expertly and he felt a surge of triumph when she gurgled with pleasure. "What would you like to do today?"

"Sleep," she answered dryly. "But this isn't too bad. I suppose I can forgive you for waking me, since you brought food and a foot rub."

"I can add a backrub to that, too, if you'd like," he said seriously.

Usa gasped when she read nothing but sincerity in his thoughts. She loved backrubs, but…"I'm not wearing any pants, so no." When she felt his disappointment, she inwardly groaned. Why did she have to be so nice to him this early in the fucking morning? When he finished the other foot and rose from the bed, she rolled back onto her stomach, and pulled the covers down to her waist. She turned her head to see his utter surprise at her offer. "Shirt stays _on_," she said firmly, "and the covers stay _up_."

Duo approached the bed cautiously, waiting for her to balk. When she just continued to study him with those gorgeous blue eyes, he nodded his agreement, and climbed onto the bed. He straddled her waist, but jerked back when she turned a little to glare at him. "What?" He asked, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "No funny business, I swear. It's just easier to give you a massage like this."

"Ok," Usagi said slowly, and lay back on her stomach. She tried not to jump when she felt him settle his weight on her bottom, and wondered again _why_ exactly she was letting him do this. She guessed she liked him… just a little. He was sexy, she'd even admitted it to the girls, but he was always so coarse and crude in his humor. The other girls found him hilarious, but Usagi guessed she was just a bit too much like her mother for her own good.

Her thoughts were interrupted when his hands brushed against her shoulders, and she gasped in pleasure. That hesitant brush was followed by a more confident touch. _God, I hope he didn't take that noise the wrong way. _Apparently he hadn't; she only sensed that he was pleased to finally be able to touch her. She hid a smile when she heard him thinking of how badly he'd wanted just to touch that soft skin of hers, and how that was his reasoning for starting with her shoulders.

Usagi slid into a trance as he slowly worked his way down her back, and brushed away the knowledge that he had slid his hands up the back of her shirt to touch her bare skin as he massaged her aching muscles. She'd worked hard the day before, and she was still a little sore from helping Rei pen that stupid bull. Apparently it'd given Ami and Wufei a run for their money, and they'd been trapped in a tack room for three hours. Usagi wondered what had caused Ami to blush so deeply when they'd rescued the pair from the raging animal. _You don't suppose…_ Usagi chuckled in delight at the sudden thought.

Duo stopped what he was doing instantly. "What? I didn't mean to tickle."

"No, I just realized something."

Now she had his curiosity. "What? That I'm not as awful as you thought?"

"No, my mind was wandering," she admitted, "and I was thinking how sore I was from the bull, and how Ami had been blushing really badly when we rescued her and Wufei from the barn. You don't think something happened in there, do you? I mean, they were trapped for _three hours_."

Duo grinned, and slid his hands back under her shirt to delicately stroke her creamy skin. "You know, the Wu-man was acting awfully strange this morning. I wouldn't be surprised."

"Really? Ami-chan's been spending a _lot_ of time holed up with him, doing research… I wonder what they've been researching?" She giggled.

Duo's eyebrows lifted when she turned her head and shot him a sly smile. "And you tell me that I've got a dirty mind." His hands suddenly stopped moving. "Wait, you haven't done that to me, have you?" He asked defensively. "Read my mind?"

Usagi immediately read his embarrassment, but wouldn't lie to him. At any rate, she was an awful liar. "A few times," she admitted, suddenly shy.

Duo noted her blush and was suddenly not as angry with her as he thought he would be. He was annoyed, sure, but he was a little pleased that some of his thoughts could bring on such a cute virginal reaction. He was overcome with the overwhelming urge to kiss those perfect pink lips, to roll her onto her back and make her squirm. But she probably didn't want him to, so he settled for sliding his rough hands over her lower back and kneading her tight muscles. God… he was her slave, and he knew it. If she ordered him to stand on his head until he was blue in the face, he'd do it. He glanced back up at her, intently watching him. "You're doing it now, aren't you?" He huffed.

Usagi inclined her head, and her mouth twitched a little. "Sorry, it's hard not to when you're touching me. Physical contact…" Her face colored when she realized his hands had been under the cloth of her halter top for quite some time.

"It's still on," he pointed out, as if reading her thoughts, making her jump. Really, he was just reading her facial expressions, paying attention to where her eyes were focused. Two could play that game, and Usagi had a very hard time hiding what she thought. She had a tendency to make faces whenever she was thinking.

"It is," she allowed, "but you're pushing it," she warned.

Duo surged forward with incredible speed, and kissed her before she could react to his movement. He kept it sweet, and light, but his lips lingered against hers a little too long to consider it chaste, and his fingers slowly trailed down her spine to make her shiver. "No," he corrected. "_That_ was pushing it," he whispered; his voice had suddenly taken on a husky tone that he had never heard come out of his own mouth.

"_Anata wa baka!"_ She yelled, and bucked her hips so hard that he flew to the floor. She grabbed her pillow and flew out of the bed, whacking him senseless over the head.

She was rambling on in Japanese at such a fast clip that Duo couldn't make out two words in ten, but it was obvious that she was livid. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Gomen ne!" He yelled back, in time with the blows to his face. When doom finally stopped raining down on him, he looked up at his furious little princess, and couldn't help himself when his eyes flickered up and down her long, bare legs. "Sorry," he said quickly, and cringed when she shifted the pillow to her other hand. "Why do you hate me so much?"

Usagi growled at him in frustration, and quickly scooped up her skirt from the end of the bed. She stepped into it and zipped it up. "I don't hate you," she snarled. "You just annoy me."

Duo managed a small smile, and hid the hurt he felt inside. "I don't mean to." He stood, brushed himself off, and handed her the coffee he'd brought. "It's still warm."

Usagi sighed when his fingers brushed against hers. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, but he was such a forward, incorrigible little prick sometimes. She completely ignored the fact that she'd responded to his kiss, if only for a fraction of a second. There had been heat and longing in it, but there had also been the sense that he was holding back to keep from rushing things. She appreciated that, but she was as interested in a relationship with _anyone_ as she was in getting her teeth pulled. God, she was always so happy and upbeat, but lately all Duo did was bring out the nasty side in her. Ugh… maybe she _did_ like him.

"I won't do that again, I promise." He masked his feelings when she nodded in agreement.

"That would be for the best. Thank you for the coffee, though." She took a bite of the muffin, chewed, and swallowed. "The food, too."

"Well, I won't do it again unless you want me to," he amended. He chuckled when she rolled her eyes.

He followed her downstairs like a puppy just itching for some attention, and noted her surprise at the empty sink. _Score one point for Duo,_ he thought smugly, and simply winked at her when she turned to look at him. "See, a chore-free day, babe."

"Thank you," she managed. Damn it, now she owed him! She hated doing dishes, but it had been the only real compromise for being allowed to sleep so late. This was a big farm, and it would only be rude not to help out in some way when Rei obviously busted her ass to do the majority of the work.

"You wanna go for a ride? I could saddle a couple horses."

"I… I hate riding," she admitted hesitantly. "I got thrown once as a child. Sorry."

"Oh, come on," he pressed. "I'll put you on the mare, she's like a big dog she's so docile." Duo grabbed her hand and tugged her out to the barn, ignoring her protests. He noted that she was trembling a little at the sight of the mare. Sure, she was a big horse, but she kept her head down and did whatever she was asked to do. She was the very definition of sound. Duo's hand flew to the back of his head, and he huffed in frustration. "Alright, riding's out. I won't make you do something you're afraid of."

He squeezed her shoulder in comfort and led her back outside, where the sun was finally making an appearance. "Howabout a walk?"

Usagi's interest perked a little. "Actually, I _would_ like to check something out, if you don't mind."

"Say the word, beautiful," Duo said, with a little bow.

Usagi led him a long way out from the house, in the direction of the corral. She ate her muffin along the way, and felt her spirits lifting from the coffee she'd brought with her. She was definitely feeling more like her normal self. She giggled when they reached the barn.

"Why are we here?" Duo asked. He laughed when she pointed at the room where Ami and Wufei had been trapped. "_Oh_. Let's go see what we can find." He let a snickering Usagi lead him into the tack room, and basked in the companionable mischief-making. He had finally found something that interested his little moonrabbit; nosing around in other people's business. "It's too dark in here," he grumbled. He flicked the light on, but it wasn't working.

"Hang on," Usagi said brightly, and closed her eyes. The light from the crescent moon on her forehead shone brightly, and she used it like a headlamp to dig around.

"Wait, stop moving," Duo said quickly. "Right here." He pointed at the floor, and studied the footprints in the dust. They were very close in one spot, but closer to the wall, there was only one set of larger footprints, spread wide for balance, as if Wufei had been supporting more than his own weight. They were facing the wall, and there was no sign of Ami's. Duo sat down and threw his head back in an evil laugh. "Wu-man got it on!" He cackled.

"How can you tell?" Usagi asked with interest. She sat down and laughed just as hard when he explained it to her. She caught a glimpse of something blue hanging from a saddlehorn and stopped. "What's this?" She reached out and gingerly lifted the cloth into the beam of light. "Oh. My. God."

"What?" Duo crawled over to see what she'd found, and they both roared with delight.

"**Ami's panties**!" They yelled together, and found themselves holding each other up to keep from rolling around on the dusty floor. After much backslapping and falling into several fits of giggles, they managed to make their way back out into the sunshine.

"I would have _never_ thought Ami would truly fall for a man!" Usagi exclaimed. She had to admit, she was delighted for her friend, even if the discovery was unexpected.

"And Wufei hates women!" Duo said with just as much surprise. "Wow! That man has bigger balls than I thought. Good for him," Duo said seriously, amazed at how genuinely happy he was for the Wu-man. There was a touch of envy there, too, but that was quickly brushed aside. "Usa…"

"Huh?"

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" He blurted out. Duo made soothing motions with his hands when she glared daggers at him. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. It's just that you're so beautiful, I would have expected suitors to be beating down your door."

Usagi gave him a sad smile. "I did have suitors, at one point. But Mother declared that I was too young for suitors, and issued a royal decree that I couldn't be courted until I turned twenty-one." She smiled indulgently at him when she heard him wondering how much longer that would be. "A few more months," she allowed. "My birthday is June thirtieth." She walked a little ahead of him so he couldn't see the sadness on her face. "I imagine the suitors will swamp the palace that day. Happy birthday to me," she said bitterly.

"Fucking bastards," Duo muttered. "I'd at least wait until July first." He gave a little shrug when she turned her head and raised a brow. "Well, at least I wouldn't wreck your birthday. I wreck all the other days, I might as well spare you _one._" He smiled happily when she laughed at his joke. At least, on that day, he would have an edge against the other suitors. He would know Usagi by then; hopefully he would have even captured her heart. None of them would know her like he knew her. They wouldn't know how to make her laugh, how she took her coffee, how she delighted in matchmaking for her friends. "Well, it's not like you have to date any of them. You can just tell them all to fuck off!" He said brightly, and threw a companionable arm around her shoulder. He grinned when she didn't throw it off.

"Duo, it's not that simple. I take over when Mother decides I'm of age. Right now, that's looking sooner than we expected. Mother isn't exactly young, you know, and I worry about her. For me to take over, I have to marry." She shook her head when she heard the question in his mind. "Mother's a widow. She'd already borne a child, so she wasn't required by law to take a husband, so long as she'd produced an heir. And I'm not sad, damn it! Stop feeling sorry for me!" She shouted at him.

Duo crossed his arms over his chest when she shrugged off his arm. "Then stop reading my thoughts, Usa. And for the record, I don't _feel sorry_ for you. I'm mad that your Mother would place such a burden on her daughter at such a young age. It sucks, Usagi, so don't you dare give me that look."

"My Mother has dealt with more than you'll ever know!" Her voice climbed quickly into the screaming range as her fury grew. "You have no right to speak of her that way, and don't you dare do it again!"

"Usagi, she keeps you locked in a fucking palace, doesn't allow you to have _any_ boyfriends, and your only friends are royalty! She shelters you like a child!" He yelled right back at her. "Grow a fucking spine and stand up to her! Do what you want to do for once, go get drunk, go make out with someone you don't even know, blow some shit up, get arrested, something _other_ than being the perfect little princess!" He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, and reached out to hold her when huge tears started welling up in her eyes. "Usa, I shouldn't have said that—"

"I hate you," she whispered. She wouldn't let him see her cry, oh hell no. She straightened her back and turned it to him as she marched across the field and away from him.

_Smooth, Duo. _He turned to look at the rising sun in the east, just as a muffled explosion went off and something took him off his feet.

Usagi whipped around and wiped at the tears that had blurred her vision. "Duo?" She took off sprinting for him when she saw him lying on the ground spread-eagle. "DUO!" She screamed, and instinctively ducked when another shot went off. She felt something burn against her lower back and bite all the way to her thigh. It hadn't hit anything vital, so she ignored it.

She let out a relieved sob when he began climbing to his feet, only to jerk back to his left as another shot rang out. She tackled him to the dirt, and without thinking, grabbed his gun out of the back of his jeans. She aimed it at the man stalking towards them from a small stand of trees, and pulled the trigger.

"God, Usa, you hit harder than the first bullet," Duo wheezed. He shoved her behind him when the man on the ground suddenly moved, snatched the gun from her, and cursed when he dropped it. He couldn't control his left hand. Another bullet whizzed by him, right where Usagi had been sitting. Duo saw red, scooped up the gun with his right hand, and stalked towards the man that had shot him. He noted the OZ insignia on the uniform. "Hyler sent you?" He asked.

The man spat on Duo's shoes, and kept his mouth shut.

"Those were my favorite shoes." Duo aimed the barrel of his gun at the man's forehead. "I would have given you a quick death," he snarled, "until you tried to kill her." He found satisfaction in the fear on his enemy's face, and aimed his gun at the man's kneecap. He was left-handed, but at such close proximity he wouldn't miss with his right. He pulled the trigger, and when the man screamed, he aimed at the hand that was reaching for the gun only a few inches away. He shot that, too. Then the other kneecap. He was slow, methodical, waiting for the pain to ebb just enough before the next bullet brought on a fresh onslaught of agony. Duo leaned down close to him, and put the hot barrel against his forehead once his screams had turned to muffled sobs. "She is the world, my friend," he growled. The bloodlust was fully upon him now, and he wanted this man to suffer. "And you tried to kill her."

"Enough, Duo!" Usagi yelled, just as she felt his powers of destruction rising up. God, he was actually going to use them to... Usagi quickly stopped reading his mind; it was terrifying seeing him in that red haze of fury. "Please, Duo, just kill him! No more!"

He growled as he eyed the terrified man. "Remember, when you're in Hell, that she spared you more pain." He pulled the trigger one last time, and only because Usagi had asked him to do it. He would have filled the assassin with the dark light that pulsed inside of him, aching to be free. He would have relished watching that man scream in utter agony while he bled out on the ground.

He turned back to Usagi, and looked her over. "Are you hurt?"

Usagi shook her head a little as she stared him. This was a completely different Duo than the one she knew. He was cold, ruthless, and cruel. There was a glint to his eyes that spoke of the battlefield, and while she knew he'd fought in the colony wars, she'd never really acknowledged him as a warrior. He was just too goofy for that. She had caught a glimpse of this during the battle on Okinawa, but it had been _nothing_ like this. Maybe she should have taken him more seriously. "You're shot," she managed, and rushed to his side.

"Get back and stay put," he ordered. "There may be more."

"They'd be shooting at us by now," she sputtered, and grabbed his arm so she could take a better look at it. "Can you move your fingers?"

Duo fought the wave of crazy that went through him when she wouldn't follow orders. "I'm fine," he snapped. "Now go sit down," he growled. "I swear, if you get hurt because you won't listen, I'll slap the shit out of you."

Usagi meekly backed away and sat down in the dirt where he'd fallen. She focused on the way he quietly moved into the trees; he barely made a sound, even among the weeds, branches and leaves that littered the ground. When he came back out, he still had that stony glare, but his shoulders weren't quite as tight. She immediately yanked him down and began inspecting his arm once he was within reach. "I can heal this," she sighed with relief. "Take off your shirt."

She expected a reply of something along the lines of "Finally!" or "I thought you'd never ask!" But he simply grunted his response and removed it one-handed. He tried to take off the vest that had saved his life, but he couldn't do it on his own.

"Hold still," she said gently, and carefully undid the straps that held the vest in place. She gave his chiseled chest and arms an appreciative glance—she simply couldn't help but admire a good-looking man—and then went to work on his limp arm.

The bullet had gone straight through his bicep, but she could rebuild the muscle as she healed him. It would take a little more power than usual, like when she'd healed Wufei, but he would have immediate use of the limb. She covered the bleeding hole with her hand, closed her eyes, and let her powers go to work.

Duo looked over when that light flashed from her forehead like before, and felt a gentle warmth spread through his body. It began to wash away the coldness he always felt right after a kill—no, killing the man hadn't made him go cold. The fact that the man had nearly killed Usagi was what had made him lose his head. If he had actually hurt Usagi, Duo couldn't imagine what he would have done to the assassin. "I should have been paying better attention," he ground through his teeth. "That asshole could have fucking killed you."

"I'm fine, Duo," Usagi replied absently, her attention focused solely on healing him. Once she was sure she'd done all she could do for his arm, she looked at the huge bruise blooming over his heart. There was only the briefest hesitation in her movement when she gently placed her hand on his chest. "Broken ribs," she muttered.

"Better than being dead again," he muttered. When she leaned forward a little to rest some of her weight on him, he realized she was doing it to favor her right leg. "You're hurt," he growled, and quickly grabbed her and turned her. He felt that cold rage running through him again at the sight of Usagi's blood staining her skirt.

"It's just a scratch," she insisted, rolling her eyes for good measure. The gesture didn't sway him; if anything it only made him angrier.

He scooped her up and carried her to the grass, ignoring her protests and the weak punch she hit him with. He was going to have to teach her how to fight when this was over; she hit like a girl. "Lay down on your stomach," he said shortly, and rolled her over when she didn't immediately comply. Duo jerked up her skirt, and shoved the cloth to her hips.

Usagi turned crimson, and buried her face in the grass while Duo quickly retrieved his discarded shirt and used it to wipe away most of the blood. She couldn't ignore the gentle way he cleaned her thigh; but yelped in protest when he jerked down her panties. "Hey!" She yelled, when his right arm firmly pressed down on the small of her back.

"Hold still," he ordered. "It grazed you from your back to your thigh. It's not too deep, but it's about seven inches long. You can't heal yourself, can you?"

Usagi shook her head. "No, sorry." Her breath caught in her throat when his fingers brushed a line from the start of the wound to the end of it. "Duo?"

"Yeah." He started ripping up his shirt; he wasn't sure how he was going to dress the wound without any tape, but he could at least put some pressure on it to slow the bleeding. And he didn't quite trust himself to use his own powers to heal her, not when he was still fighting the urge to destroy something. Hotaru had warned him about the precarious line that Saturns walked as healers and fighters… now he understood it.

"I don't hate you," she said softly. "I'm sorry I said it."

"And I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. But you should do what makes you happy," he continued. He put pressure on the wound where it was deepest, right at the very top of her thigh, towards the inside. "Sorry," he muttered, when he realized just how close to Xanadu his hand was.

"It's alright." Usagi felt the heat rise in her face again, but noted how much of a gentleman he was trying to be. "Duo, we should probably get back to the house. I know there's no way to bind that without something more than your shirt."

He nodded. "Alright." He pulled her underwear back up, and her skirt back down, sighing inwardly at the realization that this was probably the only time he was going to see her naked from the waist down. Well, mostly naked. He really hadn't paid attention in all honesty.

Duo helped her sit up, stand, and when she put all of her weight on her left leg, he shook his head. "You can't walk that far." He scooped her up in his arms and started walking.

"I can walk."

"No, you can't, Usagi." His voice was hard again, his tone impossible to argue with. He shifted her in his arms so she could comfortably rest her head against him, and he couldn't ignore how good it felt to finally hold her, even if it was under the worst of circumstances. "That was a good shot, by the way."

Usagi's eyes widened when she realized she'd shot a man.

Duo noted how she was suddenly trembling, and kissed her forehead. "You didn't kill him, Usa," he said gently. "You'd shot him in the shoulder. He would have lived if I hadn't shot him in the head." He wasn't about to tell her that she'd actually hit him in the lung, and since they were so far from a hospital, he likely would have died. He mentally slapped himself when she shook even harder. "God, I should know better than to lie to you," he muttered. He set her down in the grass and hugged her close. "Usa, by shooting him, you saved my life."

"But I'm a healer," she sobbed, "I took an oath not to hurt anyone directly. I'm only supposed to heal wounds, not inflict them!"

"Would you rather have me dead and him alive?" He asked softly. When she looked up at him and shook her head just slightly, he kissed her.

Usagi couldn't help herself; she kissed him back, grateful that she _could_ kiss him, that they weren't both dead. She murmured with pleasure when his tongue slipped into her mouth, and she let her hands wander over the marvelously hard chest that was pressing against her, lowering her to the ground… she thought about stopping him, but let him continue to kiss her. She'd never felt such heat before, such hunger… she never imagined that Duo was capable of such depth of emotion. She gasped when his mouth moved to her throat, and lit a trail of fire all the way to her ear. Her hips arched against his in response, and she suddenly grunted in pain from the motion.

Duo broke away sharply, and rested his forehead against her chest as he tried to regain control. "Sorry, Usa."

"No, it's ok." Her fingertips stroked his back in soothing little circles. "Duo… you're right. I should do what makes me happy. I'll… I'll speak with my mother." The thought terrified her, but she couldn't ignore the way her body was responding to him. The pleasure in his mind more than made up for what she was going to have to go through. She smiled softly when he gazed at her with pride.

"Now _that's _my moonrabbit." He kissed her with heat once more, and while it was intense and full of longing, he kept it short. It was muted in comparison to their first kiss. "I could kiss you all day, moonrabbit. But we need to get you patched up." He easily scooped her up again and cradled her protectively against his chest. There was a spring to his step as he thought about the confrontation they were going to have with her mother. He'd been dying to ask Usagi's mother for permission to date her, but hadn't bothered because of her lack of interest in him. Now, it was a whole different story.

Usagi rested her head against his neck, and ran her hand over what was left of the bruise on his chest. She closed her eyes and continued the healing. "It won't weaken me," she said in that distracted voice she always got when she was using her powers. She had noticed the stutter in his stride when the warmth had flooded him.

"Ok," he agreed, and he simply enjoyed having Usagi's light flooding him while he carried her back to the house. The ache in his ribs faded quickly, and he thanked her. He kissed her once, chastely, pleased when she shyly hid her face against him. "So, what are we going to tell your mother?"

"We?" Usagi realized that the old Duo was making an appearance when he waggled his eyebrows mischievously. Well, at least he wasn't cold and scary anymore. That Duo had scared the living shit out of her. "You are such a douche."

"I'm half-serious here, Usa. I'm not going to make you face her alone." He sighed. "Nevermind, we'll talk about it later."

###########

Duo had carried her into his room, and had shifted quickly back to the cold, hard Duo the moment any of the other pilots approached and tried to take her from him. He couldn't truly blame them, he knew how bad he must have looked. He was healed, but his arm and his hands were covered in blood, as were Usagi's. It didn't matter, though, _no one_ was touching her.

"It's ok," Usagi had assured them all. At her word, they had let him carry the princess into the basement and shut the door soundly with his foot. She noted wryly that she was lying in his bed when he set her down. "Duo, the others were just trying to help. They were concerned."

"I know," he said quickly. He dug through his trunk and started pulling out gauze, tape, and finally, a bottle of vodka. He threw a clean towel down next to her, and shoved her skirt all the way to her hips. He simply grabbed a pair of medical scissors and cut away her panties, throwing them carelessly on the floor. "No other man is going to even _touch_ this wound," he explained. "If it had been your arm or something, fine. But not where it is. They don't know anything more about doctoring this than I do; I can take care of it."

Usagi nearly laughed at his reasoning, but she was flattered by his jealousy. She hissed with pain when he poured the vodka on her lower back. "Keep it away from my—" she blushed crimson. "_down there_," she hissed.

Duo grinned stupidly. "You sure it doesn't need disinfecting?" He poured a little liquor unto the towel, and dabbed it carefully along her inner thigh. "Sorry, babe." He knew it stung like a bitch.

"Nande kuso?" Usagi yelped.

Duo studied the wound and shook his head. "Babe, I'm sorry, but you need a few stitches. Here." He offered her the vodka when she turned her head. "It's going to hurt. Take a good swallow of this for me."

"I've kinda um… never had a drink before," she admitted with embarrassment.

"Well, you've never been shot before, either," he said with a hint of annoyance. "Drink."

Usagi couldn't ignore the commanding tone of his voice, and took a healthy swallow. She spat and coughed and shoved the bottle back in his hand. "That's awful!" She looked at him in awe when he took a couple good gulps of it without making a noise or a face. God, he could have been drinking water.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed. Duo dug in his trunk again, and came up with a curved needle used for stitches, and some stitching thread. He disinfected them with a healthy amount of vodka, then looked up intently at Usagi. "Hold still. It's going to hurt, but if you don't move, it won't take me long."

The princess nodded bravely, and when the needle bit into her skin, she winced, but didn't move her leg. She reached back for the bottle of vodka and took another healthy dose, but only gave a token gasp when she swallowed. "Still awful."

Duo was fast, as he'd promised, and when he'd cut the last stitch, he patted her on the leg. "You did well," he said firmly. "You only needed four." He began to dress the wound, and couldn't help but linger over the soft skin of her inner thigh for just a moment. He pulled his fingers away when she made a little noise, and moved to her back. At least that was safer territory. "Sorry," he said sincerely.

Usagi nodded a little, and passed him the bottle after taking one more little sip. This stuff got better as you drank more, and it was hard not to guzzle it at that point. Her leg throbbed, she was exhausted from healing him, and now she was in the bed of a man who was the biggest pervert she'd ever met, with her panties off and her skirt hiked to her hips. She had tried not to gurgle with pleasure when his calloused fingers brushed against the inside of her upper thigh, but thankfully he'd mistaken the noise for a protest and not an invitation.

Both of them looked up at the knock at the door, and Duo placed himself possessively between the door and his princess.

"It's Rei."

"Come in," Duo grunted, and went back to work on patching her up.

Rei quietly shut the door behind her, and immediately sat next to Duo and surveyed the damage. "A girl should be doing this, Duo," she said carefully. Her first instinct had been to yell at him, but she had noticed the domineering glint in his eyes. She had only seen that look in his eyes when it came to herself, and now that she thought about it, that look reminded her an awful lot of the way Heero sometimes looked at her.

"I'm not doing anything wrong," he said flatly. "I'm treating a bullet wound, which I've done for you several times."

"He's been the perfect gentleman," Usagi added firmly.

Rei noticed the little slur in her words, and groaned. "You're drunk!"

"I gave her a little of that," he nodded towards the bottle, "for the pain. She needed four stitches. Tell the guys to post guards all around the farm," he ordered. "An assassin was hiding out near the corral, in that little stand of trees, and he nearly killed me." He looked at Usagi warmly. "She saved my life."

Rei studied the new scar on his left arm. She knew all of Duo's scars, and this one hadn't escaped her notice. She grabbed the bottle and took a good drink before touching the puckered flesh. "Wow, how did you kill him if you couldn't shoot?" She asked knowingly.

"I shot him," Usagi whispered. The tears started welling up in her eyes again, and she buried her face in Duo's pillow.

"Moonrabbit, we've been through this. You didn't kill him, I did," Duo said shortly. If Rei hadn't been in the room, he would have kissed away her tears, so he settled for a soft caress of the unmarred skin on her back. He looked to his sister, daring her to say a word, and was satisfied when she gave a neutral shrug.

"Send out Mako-chan," Usagi sniffled. "Have her shield the farm. No one gets through her barriers, and she's strong enough to hold them even when she sleeps."

"Make sure she takes Quatre with her," Duo added. They hadn't come out as a couple, but knowing what he knew, he was sure Quatre would bring out the crazy if anyone tried to harm the Princess of Jupiter.

Rei didn't question her brother, she only nodded. "Contact your mother when you're sober," she advised Usagi, and left the room quickly.

Duo ran his hand along Usagi's thigh once before pulling her skirt back down. "There's blood on your clothes, moonrabbit." He pulled a shirt and a pair of shorts out of his trunk, and handed them to her. "Here, I'll turn my back. Promise." He turned around, and fought the urge to turn and see her nude when her skirt and tank top floated to the floor next to his feet. No, he'd be a good boy, at least for now. He'd earned her trust, and he didn't want to lose it so quickly by slipping into his usual antics.

"Done." Usagi blushed when he gazed at her with naked desire.

"Lay back down," he said roughly, unable to take his eyes off of her. She was dressed in one of his oversized button-up black shirts, and it was so long that it came to her knees, covering the shorts. It wasn't hard to imagine that she wasn't wearing anything underneath, and he was finding it very difficult to control his libido. He distracted himself by cleaning up the mess they'd made before sliding into the bed right beside her. He pulled the covers up to their shoulders, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly, protectively, against him. "Nothing's gonna happen," he assured her. "You need to rest, and Rei won't let anyone bother you down here." He pointed to the door. "Lock it if you're not too tired."

Usagi waved her hand at the doorknob, and her forehead glowed a little as the lock turned. She turned to face him, and bolstered by the alcohol, she summed up enough courage to brush her lips against his. "Thank you," she whispered.

Did Duo detect a hint of desire from her also? His arm still around her, he pulled her against his bare chest and kissed her in return, his tongue dancing with hers and his hands coaxing a moan from her throat. When his hand slipped up her shirt to caress her breasts, and she didn't protest, he gave her one long, toe-curling kiss before pulling away. She looked dazed and confused by their sudden parting, and he wanted nothing more than to roll on top of her and show her how much he truly wanted her. "Go to sleep." He nuzzled her neck, nipped it once, and laid his head down on the pillow.

"But…" Usagi protested, and stroked her fingers down his chest, trailing past his abs and to the hem of his pants.

"Don't start something you can't finish, moonrabbit," Duo groaned. He physically rolled her back over so that she was facing the door, and snuggled up against her.

Usagi breathed in sharply when she felt something hard against her backside, pushing up against the wound on her thigh. "Oh." She tried not to laugh, she should have known that lying in his bed half-naked and kissing him would have brought on such a response. "I'm sorry," she said with a smile.

"It's alright," Duo grumbled. "I wouldn't want to break your mother's rules, so go to sleep." Besides, he wasn't going to take advantage of her while she was a little drunk, even though it was mighty tempting to do so.

###############

"A failure!"

The captain cringed when Hyler flung a tray of medical instruments across the room, yelling wordlessly in frustration. "Yes, sir," he finally confirmed. "The assassination was a total failure, and the tracker was destroyed. However, we got a lock on Brown's location before the link was severed.

Hyler took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm the rage rising up inside of him. "That's something, at least. Where was he before he was killed?"

"In the former state of Iowa, a hundred miles north of the old capitol of Des Moines. Would you like me to send some mobile suits to attack?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, not yet. We need to do some reconnaissance on their base, first. Figure out what kind of defense systems we're up against. One does not attack seven Gundam pilots without a clear plan laid out."

**WOO! That was LONG! I'm mighty tempted to keep going, but we're already at 10k words for this chapter! Topaz and JP, thank yall so much for such long and wonderful reviews! I have to admit, I'm disappointed that yall were the only two to give me reviews! What the hell? **

**Now, time for a shameless plug! I have a DBZ/SM fic, rated M, called The Golden Stranger, and it's getting very awesome! Go read it, or I'll tell Vegeta and have him slap you like a bitch! :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**Alright, Shynii, I just got your review, so I'm adding this A/N while it's fresh in my mind and I'm still laughing! The thing about making them fall out of love with each other cracked me up, until you added the thing about "ok, well, giant robots and girls with superpowers don't exist in real life, either." Exactly! So do me a favor and suspend disbelief for me, at least while you're reading anything I've written! Especially since I started this fic when I was 17. o.0 And as far as Ami and Wufei? I'll go ahead and give it away. Nope, they're together! Seriously, Wufei is most definitely the type that would be a one-woman man. Hell, he's already been married! God, girl, I wish you hadn't reviewed anonymously! But then again… I'm notorious for killing people off in my non-fanfics… hmmm… decisions. **

"Alright, are you finally going to show me what's in the bag, Duo?"

The pilot of Deathscythe nodded and dropped it on the ground, unzipping its many pockets.

Usagi backed up, violently shaking her head when she saw all of the different types of guns he was unloading. "No, Duo! NO!"

"Are you alright, moonrabbit?" He asked with concern, stopping what he was doing to watch her carefully.

"I—I can't, Duo, I'm sorry. I just can't. I won't ever hurt someone again. I just _can't_." She sagged against him when he stood and wrapped her tightly in his arms. He shot and killed people without a second thought, and he had a horribly dark and violent side to him. She could accept that, could accept _him_. But she couldn't do the things that he did. She was a healer, she'd been taught since birth never to harm another living creature.

"Usa, look at me." Duo tilted her chin up gently and pressed his lips to hers. He was tempted to deepen the kiss, but no, they had a job to do out there. "You're just shooting at targets, moonrabbit. That's all."

"No, I'm learning to kill," she snapped. "And I won't do that."

"You're learning to _aim_, Usagi. Every one of us is training every one of you girls, and after this, I'm going to teach you to throw a decent punch. You hit like a fucking girl." He kissed her again when she gave him a tiny smile. "Now, you've got thin little china doll wrists, so I'm going to start you with a .380. It's small, compact, and could fit in your front pocket. It had a little kick to it, but not as much as my gun does."

"And what kind of gun is yours?" She asked, and jerked back her hand when he held out the .380.

"It's a .45. Let me guess, you were aiming for his hand when you shot the other day?"

"I wasn't aiming," Usagi whispered, not wanting to talk about it. At all. "I just pointed at him, his midsection, I think, and pulled the trigger."

Duo sighed and kissed her, running his free hand through one of her pigtails. "Don't cry, moonrabbit. I know you don't want to learn these things, but you have to. You need to know how to defend yourself. And your people. You're going to be queen one day, right? I'm positive that your mother knows how to shoot a gun properly."

"I don't know if she does. Mother knows a lot of things. But she'd never shoot someone."

"Bullshit," Duo snapped. "I'd bet you my Gundam that your mother would shoot anyone that tried to harm you or one of her people. And just because you're learning how to shoot someone doesn't mean that you actually have to do it, Usa. I'm not leaving your side for the rest of this whole godforsaken war, so I'll likely be doing all of the shooting."

When she still refused to take the pistol, he rolled his eyes and gently pushed her behind him. "Watch, moonrabbit." Duo easily took aim at the target; for him, the motion was as simple as drawing a breath. It was completely automatic, without conscious thought. He squeezed the trigger, popping off several rounds, all of them perfect bullseyes. "See, Usa, there's no harm in it."

Despite the fact that she wanted nothing to do whatsoever with firearms, Usagi was a little in awe of his marksmanship. "You're a really good shot. Can Rei-chan do that, too?"

Duo nodded with a little grin. "Who do you think taught her, moonrabbit? Here," he said, offering her the gun again. "See if you can hit the target."

Usagi reluctantly took it this time. "Duo-kun… I really don't want to do this, but…" She shook her head and sighed. "If something happens like yesterday, I'll blame myself forever if I you get killed because I refused to learn to shoot properly."

"That's my girl," Duo said affectionately. "And I promise, you won't have to shoot anyone again if I'm there and capable of pulling the trigger. Now…" Duo got behind her, and expertly placed her hands in the proper position before backing away. "If you're shooting a harder caliber, make sure you keep your arms and hands like that. Don't lock your elbows. Or your wrists. Much better. Now aim at the target. Wait for the shot to feel right. Wait for the sweet spot. You'll know it when you feel it. And when you do, gently squeeze the trigger, don't pull."

Usagi did as she was told, squinting one eye shut down the line of the sight, waiting for the moment when the shot would feel right. "How long before I can shoot as fast as you?"

"Moonrabbit, all of us pilots are excellent shots, and we trained for _years _to shoot without thinking. Let the gun become part of you, an extension of your arm. That's how we shoot so well. The gun and I are one when I draw it." He grinned when she took her first shot, and hit the circle just outside of the bullseye. "That's what I'm talking about, moonrabbit."

"And if the center of the target is the heart, what would I have hit?"

"Oh, you would've stopped them for sure, Usa. They would have been gutshot, which is one of the most painful places I've ever gotten shot. If you'd been aiming for the head, you would have hit them in the neck. But for all intents and purposes, I want you to always aim for the chest. It's a bigger target, easier to hit, and will stop a man in his tracks… unless he's one of us, of course."

"You're joking." Usagi lowered the gun and just stared at him.

"Hey, we've all been shot before and just kept fighting. Shit, I've seen Heero fracture his leg, set it himself, and go on about his business." Duo snorted at that. "But Heero's an exception, even among us." He nodded towards the target. "Keep firing, moonrabbit. Until you're comfortable with that gun. Then we'll switch to the next one."

Usagi nodded, squeezed off a few more rounds, and despite her aversion to guns, was a little pleased with the fact that she consistently hitting just outside of the bullseye. "May I try something, Duo-kun? I just want to see if it'll work."

Duo shrugged. "Be my guest, babe." He watched in wonder when her planetary symbol bloomed on her forehead, and she started popping off shots at the target. All of them were perfect shots. Every single one. "Holy shit, moonrabbit." His voice was barely above a whisper, he was so in awe of her. "How…?"

Usagi shrugged. "I told the bullet where I wanted it to go. Not difficult when you have telekinesis."

The pilot of Deathscythe took a .45 from the pack and handed it to her. "It's just like mine, so you should be prepared for the recoil."

Usagi switched guns with him, took aim, and drew a smiley face on the target. "Do I pass?"

Duo nodded, but found himself frowning. "I hope the day never comes when you can't use your powers to cheat like that, babe." He waved off the weapon when she tried to hand it back to him. "You keep it; every one of you girls should have your own gun, and know how to shoot it. The Q-man is teaching Makoto this afternoon, and Trowa's supposed to be teaching Minako tomorrow morning."

Usagi frowned at the mention of the last couple. "Is it just me, or has Trowa been acting strangely around Mina lately?"

Equally troubled, Duo nodded. "Yeah, we're not the only ones to have noticed it, either. I was sure they'd be all hot and heavy by now, but Trowa's been keeping his distance since shortly before we left your kingdom. At first I just thought he was a little skittish about getting close to a girl, but when I tried to ask him about it…"

"What?"

"He was _mad_. Every time he's been around Mina, I've seen that muscle in his jaw jump, which means he's angry about something. Maybe you should talk to Mina and see if she has a clue about what's going on?"

Usagi nodded, but felt a little queasy about the whole thing, since she had a very good idea what was wrong. She was someone who knew Mina, _really_ knew her, and knew the truth about her… "This is going to turn out very badly," she whispered. Someone needed to have a chat with Trowa, and _fast_, before he said something he'd regret and broke Minako's heart.

"Why do you say that?" Duo frowned at the pained expression on her face. "What's wrong, moonrabbit?"

"I was sworn to secrecy, Duo-kun. I'm sorry. I swear, though, I'll tell you. Just not yet, ok?" Usagi fluffed her hair in agitation and shook her head. "Something happened six years ago, and we all took an oath not to speak of it."

"Something bad?" Duo's eyes grew cold. "Did someone hurt Minako? If someone did, I'll kill the rat bastard myself."

Usagi vigorously shook her head. "No, no. Nothing like that. Though I have to admit I'm a little pleased that you'd jump so quickly to come to her defense."

"Any of us would defend you girls, Usagi." Duo pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly, needing the contact. "I'd give my life for you," he whispered.

"I know, Duo. But you'd better never do such a thing. Or I'll have to kick your ass."

####################

Minako put on a touch of lipstick and a little eyeliner. Nothing else, since she was about to get sweaty and it would run all over the place. Trowa had been assigned to help her train in some hand-to-hand combat, since she had little experience in it. She rolled her eyes and huffed. No wonder he hadn't shown any interest in her, the only things Venusians were taught in the training section of their temple were lessons in carnal delights.

Ever since they'd returned from Okinawa, he'd been exceedingly cold, even for him. His stoic, quiet nature had shifted to something hard, something angry, whenever she entered his presence. She frowned sadly and shook her head. It wasn't like she didn't know what was going on with him, but did he have to be such an insensitive prick about it?

While it wasn't required as part of their training, Venusian girls were given the option to lose their virginities at the age of sixteen. All of them did it. Well, almost all of them. The few that declined the training were labeled as prudes, teases, frigid bitches. They were known as the girls that would entice and never put out. Needless to say, all Venusian girls felt pressed at sixteen, and many of them completed the full training because of the constant peer pressure from the other girls.

Quatre had visited the temple with her when he came to Okinawa, and had learned about his ancestors. Minako had shown him around, and one of the priestesses had informed him about their customs and practices. She felt tears prick her eyes; when Quatre had learned about the females' training he had given her a look of disbelief. Since Trowa was his best friend, she knew Quatre had told him about it and Trowa had made his judgment from there.

"Fucking asshole," she hissed. She wiped off the makeup and threw on a tank top and a pair of shorts. Fuck it, she wasn't going to bother with him anymore. Let him be a judgmental prick. He hadn't even bothered to ask her about it, he just assumed she was some sort of slut, without taking into account _centuries_ of Venusian traditions. Not that she'd actually taken part in the full training, but he didn't know that, and she wasn't about to tell him. "At least I know his true colors," she sighed.

########

Trowa's eyebrow lifted in surprise when Minako stalked into the gym without any makeup on. He'd _never_ seen her without makeup, even when she first got out of bed, it seemed like she was wearing a fresh coat. Maybe it was an ability that girls from Venus had.

He frowned at that thought, and felt a familiar coldness creeping over him. He wasn't some plaything for her to fuck around with. He wasn't some conquest for her to add to the notches in her bedpost, and he wished to God he'd never started falling for her. He hadn't said anything, of course, but he had assumed she'd felt the same way. He'd been planning on making a move while they stayed on Okinawa… until Quatre had approached him with some disturbing news.

Apparently, Minako was some sort of sex goddess in the Temple of Venus; she'd been initiated at sixteen, which was the custom for girls of Venus, and then had grown quite a reputation as being a delightful lover. She'd also grown a reputation for changing lovers as often as she did her underwear, and Trowa would be damned if he was going to be the next name on a long list of conquests. He could have overlooked one or two past lovers, but from what Quatre told him, she'd been with dozens of men.

"What?" Minako snarled at him. If he looked at her like that one more damn time, she'd claw his fucking eyes out, her nail polish be damned.

Trowa blinked, apparently he'd been staring. "Nothing. Get on the mat," he said flatly. He stripped off his shirt, and ignored the way her eyes were trailing up his muscular, hard body. _Look all you want, slut. You're not getting any._

Minako took the stance that Makoto had taught her when they were children. While her own training hadn't included fighting, the Princess of Jupiter had always needed someone to practice with, and Mina had been more than happy to oblige. She wasn't nearly as adept as her childhood partner, but she'd picked up a few things along the way.

Trowa held his hands out, and nodded. "Good stance. Punch my hands." He shook his hand when she clobbered it with a right cross, and went to the bench to get a glove. Damn, she hit like a hammer.

"What?" She asked hotly, when he turned his back to her. "Don't want to train a girl?"

"No," he answered coldly. It was fire versus ice all of a sudden, and he shot her an insulting look. He'd been about to compliment her on her good form and a solid punch until she'd slipped into bitch mode. "I don't want to train _you_. The fact that you're a girl doesn't matter." He put on the glove and returned to the mat. "Again."

Minako aimed for his face this time, but it was expertly blocked. Caught in a haze of pure anger, she suddenly wished she'd been born to Mars; she would have fried him if she could have. She swung a few more times, but the glove caught her vicious blows.

She switched to kicks, and was grimly pleased to see him wince a little at every blow. Her legs had always been her best asset, and not just when she wanted to look good. _I shouldn't have spread those rumors,_ she thought.

She'd planted a few words here and there with the court gossips, and had gained quite the reputation with the boys, even though she'd done nothing to deserve it. She'd never named names, and what she'd spread had been vague at best, but people always assumed, and it had turned into a horrible game of telephone.

Well, at seventeen it hadn't been horrible. She'd been the belle of the ball, never mind that it was all a lie. Now she was regretting it; she should have grown a pair and told the truth, and endured whatever shunning she had to take from people she really didn't even give a shit about. Why did she give a fuck what they thought about her? God, she'd been such a stupid kid. Well, not completely stupid. She hadn't gone through with the training, she hadn't caved into the peer pressure, and she still believed that sex should be an act that you performed with someone you cared about.

"STOP!" Trowa yelled for the third time, and finally shoved her backwards. "Damn it, Minako!" He said angrily, when she flew at him again. "I said stop it!" He put her in a submission hold, but she was still trying so damned hard to hit him that he took her down onto the mat and put her in a figure four.

Mina glared at him, but when she tried to kick out, she gasped in pain. She furiously started swinging blindly back at him, but he only tightened his grip on her harder. "Fucking asshole!" She screamed at him. "Let me go!"

"I will when you calm down," he said icily. "I never thought you'd have this much skill in a fight. Quatre had me under the impression that your people never training for fighting."

"You shouldn't believe _everything _Quatre says," she shot back. "Now let. Me. Go."

"You're not calm." He shouldn't believe everything Quatre said? Did she know what her cousin had told him? He didn't let his sudden curiosity show. Or the flicker of guilt that fluttered in his stomach. Oh God, if Quatre had been misinformed… he squashed down the immediate urge to apologize to her. He didn't know what she knew, so he'd stay silent for the moment.

"I AM CALM!" She hollered at him, and tried her best to kick him in the face. Pain shot up her thigh when he leaned into the hold, and she furiously smacked her hand on the mat in a tap-out. She started screaming at him in Japanese, telling him how much she hated him, and how he was an assuming son of a bitch, and how she wished she could get up off that floor right then and saw his nuts off with her teeth.

She was almost mad enough to… she stopped struggling immediately, and let her power creep out from her in small, subtle tendrils. Fine. He wanted to be the biggest fucking douchebag on the planet? She could play that game. She'd leave him with the worst hard-on of his life and not give him so much as a kiss. Afterall, he deserved it after playing with her emotions.

Minako felt his hold on her gradually loosen, and she slowly, carefully, slipped out of it. She turned up the force of her power just a notch. "Thank you," she said shortly, and scooped up the glove. She threw it at him, and despite the slight glaze to his eyes, he caught it and put it on.

Trowa blinked when he caught the glove. He slipped it over his hand, and shook his head. Suddenly, he couldn't focus on anything but Minako's gorgeous golden body. He'd let her out of the hold simply because touching her upper thighs had nearly made him pin her on her back and ravage her. _What the fuck is wrong with…_ "You bitch," he hissed. He closed his eyes and fought against whatever she'd managed to do to him while they'd had physical contact, but it was of no use. "What did you do to me?"

"I taught you a lesson." There was no triumph in her tone, only fury. "You're a prick, Trowa, or didn't you hear that before while I was screaming at you?"

"I don't speak Japanese." Two urges ran through him at once when she took a step towards him, fist clenched, ready to break his face. One was to throw her down and fuck her brains out. The other was to beat the shit out of her. While both would be enjoyable, he let his training kick in and blocked them both out. "But I understood the tone well enough. At any rate, I'd rather be a prick than a slut," he replied coldly.

"I'm a slut, huh?" Mina couldn't hide the pain in her voice. "If I'm such a slut, Trowa, why haven't I used my powers on you before now? Why haven't I offered myself to you!?" She was so angry and hurt that the ground began rumbling under their feet, and her symbol pulsed on her forehead. "No, not now, not now," she growled at herself. She backed away from him cautiously towards the door. She wanted to strangle him, but she didn't want to kill him. And she wouldn't let him see how his words had hurt her. The tears were already burning her eyes, threatening to spill down her face. "I fucking hate you, Trowa."

He simply stared at her as she left the room, and shook his head. "No, Quatre was right," he told himself. He had to have been right, because if he was wrong, Trowa had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

############

Rei pounded on the door furiously, and considered burning it down. "_**Triton Kino**_, if you don't open this door right now, you're going to fucking regret it," she snarled.

The door swung open, and cool green eyes stared at her intently. "What?" He asked, a little sharply.

"Inside," Rei ordered, and gave him a push. She slammed the door behind her and fought against the heat building up inside her. "Minako came into the house today, and she was crying so damned hard that it took us an hour to get her to tell us what happened. She couldn't even talk, Trowa. So, what happened?"

"I thought you said she told you."

Rei's fists clenched at her side. "Trowa, if what she told me is what actually happened, I'm going to set your cock on fire." She continued when he didn't bat an eyelash. "She said that you called her a slut."

He shrugged. "So what if I did? It's not any of your business."

Rei's fists were suddenly engulfed in flames, and she took pleasure in the surprise that leapt into those dark green eyes. "Minako is **not** a slut!" She wanted to rant and call him names, but there weren't any swear words that came to mind that were quite strong enough for what she wanted to call him.

"Yes, she is," Trowa corrected her. "Quatre told me—"

"Oh, _fuck_ Quatre right in his blonde hairy ass! Minako is not a slut!"

"And how would you know?" Trowa asked, slipping back behind that cold, unfeeling mask he always wore.

"If I really have to tell you, then you don't deserve her, Trowa. She cared for you very deeply, and you went and broke her heart just because you decided to believe a rumor that Quatre heard."

Oh God. So, that _had _been what Minako meant. "How do you know it's just a rumor?"

Rei saw the flicker of remorse in his eyes, and the flames around her hands suddenly went out. "Trowa, if you want to hear this, lose the mask for five minutes. I'm serious," she added, when he started to shake his head.

She watched him slowly fight to drop the stony expression he'd been bearing for years, and nodded with approval when she saw the emotions of regret, fear, and sadness cross over his face. "Mina was sparring with Mako last year, and they were using fencing swords. Mako was close to completing her training, and Mina had always stood in for her sparring partner whenever she needed one."

Trowa nodded. So, that was where she'd learned to throw an effective punch.

"Mina got cut badly," Rei continued, "and the cut was right here." Rei pointed to her inner thigh. "Usagi healed it, no big deal, but while she was searching around in that area to make sure she'd fully fixed the injury, she noticed that Mina still had her hymen." Rei blushed a little, but kept going when horror spread across Trowa's face. "That's right. She's a _virgin_, you egomaniacal, selfish _bastard_. God, I almost hate you right now, Trowa. You're such an assuming prick that _Usagi _wants to beat the shit out of you. And I believe she would if she actually could." Rei let out an inarticulate snarl at the whole thing and threw her hands in the air in frustration. She slammed the door behind her on the way out and left Trowa standing there, speechless.

###########

"You look _very_ nice," Usagi said with a touch of surprise.

Duo tugged self-consciously at the tie that Heero had fixed for him and blushed. "You say that like I never look nice, moonrabbit."

She laughed and gave him the briefest of kisses. "You know better than that, Duo. Are you ready?"

Haruka was going to beat the shit out of him, he knew it. Sighing heavily, he took Usagi's hand and stepped into the circle of snickering princesses. He blinked when he felt power rising all around them, and they were standing in the square on Okinawa. "On second thought, moonrabbit, maybe we should go back…"

"Chicken?" Usagi teased. Tugging on his hand, she pulled him up beside her and began to lead them towards the palace. People were gawking at the two of them when they noticed that their hands were joined, and if Duo chickened out now, word was going to get back to Serenity within minutes, anyway.

Might as well go through with it. "How's the leg, Usa? Don't lie, either, you're still limping."

"It'll be alright," she huffed with a roll of her eyes. "In fact, I'll get Mother to heal it while we're here, ok?"

"Cousin!" Duo yelled, suddenly ecstatic to finally see someone he knew.

"Duo!" Hotaru yelled back happily, waving at him with the hand that wasn't holding her glaive. She giggled when he picked her up and swung her around in a tight hug, acting as if he hadn't seen her in months, rather than days. "What brings you?"

The Gundam pilot abruptly set her down. "We've come to see Lady Serenity. You know where she's at?"

Hotaru slowly took in the fact that Duo was dressed in a nice suit and tie, and her princess was wearing an equally nice day dress. _Oh shit. _She briefly wondered if she could get a front row seat to see the fireworks when Lady Serenity blew up and started screaming. Nah, she didn't have to wonder, she knew she could. "Right this way," she laughed, grinning at Duo.

"Ugh, is it _that _obvious?" He sputtered, shooting Usagi a look when she giggled at him. "We're grown, we shouldn't have to ask permission just to _date._ Marriage, yeah, I agree with asking your mom, but this?"

"It was your idea," Usagi replied with amusement. "Is the big, bad Gundam pilot scared of talking to my mother?"

"_Yes_, I am. I'd rather face down Heero in a space battle than have your mom give me that look. You know which one I'm talking about. And if you've ever seen Heero in action, you know just how fucking scary he gets when he's focused!"

"Language, Maxwell-san," a silvery voice said from the garden, just as they entered through the gate.

Duo froze, only to be tugged forward by the object of affections. "Sorry, ma'am," he barely managed.

Queen Serenity looked up from pruning her roses, dressed simply in a gardening dress that had been repaired several times. She sighed at the sight of them both, noting their choice in clothing. This was formal then, not just a visit. "I was hoping to hear that my daughter had come to visit me, and you had simply offered to escort her."

Noting the irritation in her voice, Duo quickly stepped forward. Might as well get this over with quickly. "I'd like permission to date your daughter, Serenity-sama."

Duo cringed when she looked up at him like he was a bug that needed to be squashed. "No," she replied flatly. "No," she said again, when he opened his mouth the protest. She was giving him that look now, the one that made her look scary.

"Mother, I'm not a child!" Pushing her way in front of Duo, Usagi faced down her mother for only the second time in existence. It was also the second time in a week. "Duo wants to court me, and I accept his offer."

"You can't have suitors until you're twenty-one, and you know that, Usagi. The matter is closed." Serenity returned to her roses and shook her head. "And this one is a bad influence on you, Usagi. Come June thirtieth, I'll still deny him the request to court you, so just give up now."

"Mother—"

"No, Usagi! That's final! Dismissed!" She snapped.

"No, wait, Usa," Duo said quickly, when she turned to storm off. "At least have her heal you first, ok? She might be pissed at me, but you shouldn't be limping around in pain like that."

"What happened?" Serenity said icily. "What did you do?"

"Duo didn't do _anything_, Mother!" Usagi snarled, grabbing him by the hand and jerking him towards the gate. "Fuck this shit, I don't need it!"

"Watch your language in front of your mother," Duo said flatly, "and get your ass back over here. We're not going anywhere until you're healed, do you hear me? And if you won't listen, you're going to regret it."

"Regret it?" Usagi laughed nastily. "You and what army is going to make me regret it, Duo?"

"You asked for it, moonrabbit." Duo dipped down and caught her around the waist, slinging her over his shoulder caveman style. Marching back over to the queen, he gave her a dangerous-looking smile when she opened her mouth, clearly intent on yelling at him for manhandling her daughter.

Looking around to make sure it was just them and Hotaru, he pulled the struggling princess's skirt up to her waist. "Don't even start yelling at me, Your Majesty. Just heal her and I'll go away. I know that bullet wound's got to hurt, I've been shot plenty of times myself."

"And just _how_ did my daughter get shot!?" Serenity raged at him, pulling at the dressing over her daughter's thigh and backside.

"It's barely a scratch, Mother! Put me _down, _Duo! This is so embarrassing!" She wailed.

"I gave you a choice, moonrabbit. You wanted to be stubborn." He matched Serenity's glare when she stared him down after looking at the stitched wound.

"You'd better have a very good explanation for this, young man."

Duo nodded sharply. "Heal Usagi and I'll show you."

Serenity laid a hand on her daughter's injury, unable to keep the surprised look from her face. "You'll let me into your head and show me?" She asked.

"Yes, I will." He promptly set Usagi on her feet once her skirt was righted, and held out his hand for her mother. "Go on."

"No, Duo! You're not going to show her all of it!?"

He nodded, still holding his hand out. "Yes, I am. Maybe then, your mother will realize that my intentions are noble." Duo felt a little jolt when his offered hand was taken, and Lady Serenity was there in his mind, watching what had happened the day before.

They had to have been standing there for at least fifteen minutes while Duo watched as well, his mind running like a movie while she saw everything, including the kissing and the minor make-out session in his bed after he'd stitched Usagi up. Which _he'd_ stopped, damn it, and he made sure to point that out to her mentally when he felt her preparing to blow up at him.

Serenity eyed him with a mixture of surprise, gratitude, and fury when she finally pulled away. "Thank you for keeping my daughter safe… and for not taking advantage of her."

A smugness crept over his face when Serenity thanked him. "Taking care of Usa is my pleasure, Lady. As I'm sure you noticed while you were in my head."

"Ugh, don't remind me. **Fine**, you can date my daughter. Now get out of here before I change my mind, damn it."

Did Serenity just swear at him? Duo grinned and tugged Usagi towards the gate. "You heard her, moonrabbit. Let's get out of here before she changes her mind. But you should come visit her in a couple days, I think."

"Yes, she should!" Serenity yelled from the rose bush she'd gone back to work on. "And when she does, she's taking guards with her!"

**YAAAAAAAAAAY! I finally put out another chapter! Please don't kill me, yall, I KNOW how long it's been! And I've been working on all those yummy smutty DBZ fanfics, so don't complain… just go read THOSE! Love yall! R&R!**


End file.
